¶ AirPods, Siri, and Her

If you have read this site for some time, followed me on Twitter, or have known me personally in the last few years, you know that I am a really big fan of AirPods. In fact, I think AirPods may be my favorite gadget in the past 5 years.

One thing AirPods reminded me of when they were originally released is the 2013 movie, Her — which is a strange movie in many ways, but has stuck with me ever since I watched it. My main takeaway from Her is that it is ultimately about loneliness, and how we as a society are ever-increasingly trying to substitute real connection with technology, but it isn’t a satisfactory substitute. That’s a whole essay for another day.

By far the main thing that stuck with me all these years about Her was the way everyday computing is portrayed. Computers are the size of a business card case and the primary interaction is through a small earbud. People take calls, read and reply to messages and email, and compose entire documents through voice. When at a desk, these small computers interface with a larger desktop monitor.

It’s all rather cool.

The first AirPods felt like an initial step towards this portrayed future. With a couple taps on an earbud you could summon Siri and dictate a message, among many other commands. But it was still a first step.

The second-generation AirPods have a newer chip in them, and brought along “Hey Siri” support. No more reaching up and tapping at your ear to get the attention of our favorite assistant. Just say the phrase and roll with your command, and Siri happily obliges — most of the time.

With the advent of iOS 13.2, Siri gained another new feature that brings us another step closer to the technology in Her — Announce Messages with Siri. This feature requires newer headphones from Apple that have the H1 chip. These currently include:

• AirPods (second generation)
• AirPods Pro
• Powerbeats Pro
• Beats Solo Pro

What this feature does is eerily conversational. While the AirPods (or other compatible headphones) are in your ears, and you receive a text message, Siri will fade out whatever you are listening to, give a delightful chime, and tell you something like, “Karen sent you a message: ‘Which flavor of ice cream would you like me to pick up?’”

At this point, there is just silence for a few seconds, which is your cue to say something like, “Reply. Definitely cookies and cream.”

And then she just sends it and returns your audio right where you left off. There is an option to have Siri read your reply back to you and ask for confirmation to send, just in case you don’t trust her ability to transcribe your dictation well.

But this whole process is surprisingly interactive and quick once you get the hang of it. The other day I was getting ready for a workout and carrying out a conversation via text with a friend, completely hands-free, without looking at my phone once.

For kicks and giggles I even had Siri read an email to the other day and then I composed the reply right from my AirPods. It worked great for a short reply.

I doubt this will be the last time I bring up AirPods or the comparisons to the tech in the movie Her, but it is fascinating to me how quickly AirPods and Siri are becoming a decent interaction model with the iPhone, and how the proliferation of AirPods are normalizing speaking to these little devices in our ears.

The cautionary tale, though, is the same as we see in the film: we shouldn’t let these conversations with our devices overshadow real relationships with other people. Sometimes you need to take the earbuds out, put them away, and talk to another person.

¶ The AirPods Pro In-Store Demo

I was in Omaha today for a fun event today, and on my way back towards Lincoln I decided to stop in the Apple Store at Village Pointe to check out the AirPods Pro. I walked in and it was extremely crowded and noisy in the store, which is a little bittersweet — on one hand, this is exactly why I loathe going to the Apple Store unless I must; on the other hand, this is a really great environment to test out AirPods Pro.

Despite how crowded it was, I was helped by a specialist right away, and I said I wanted to check out the AirPods Pro. He led me to another table, waved his iPhone in front of it, and pulled out another iPhone and an AirPods Pro demo unit.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Gross. Why would anyone want to try out earbuds that other people have have already done the same thing with? The specialist told me that every unit is thoroughly cleaned after every demo, and they place a seal on the unit to indicate they have been cleaned and not used since. He showed me the seal, which was a round tamper-evident sticker holding the lid closed. When he started to peel it off, the tamper-evident qualities came to light. Then he handed me the case.

I flicked it open, saw the pairing animation come up on the demo iPhone, and I tapped the button to pair them. Then I removed the bud and squished them into my ears.

And then the loud commotion of the store instantly dulled down to a barely audible hum. It was, for lack of a better word, incredible. I queued up some music and whatever din of my surroundings was left before was overpowered by the music.

And then I switched it to Transparency mode, and some of the commotion came back, but not at full force, and I could still hear the music well. I could carry on a brief conversation with the specialist, and then I switched back to noise cancellation. I toggled back and forth a few times.

Noise cancellation easily drowned out the chaos, and Transparency made music sound like a soundtrack to life happening around me.

In my brief moments with the AirPods Pro, I was impressed. Really impressed.

If you are interested in them and want to try before you commit, I would recommend Apple’s in-store demo if you have a store nearby.

¶ The Wonders of Working Out Wirelessly

For the past several years I have diligently gone to the gym every Tuesday and Thursday evening. It's rare for me to miss. I've become one of the "regulars". The staff know me and I frequently see the same familiar faces working out nearby.

The entire time I've been going to the gym my wrist has been adorned by an Apple Watch. First the original (Series 0), then the Series 2, and nowadays the Series 4. It has been my faithful companion, tracking my calories burned and exercise minutes.

I like to listen to podcasts while I work out, and in the early days I used my iPhone and the wired EarPods that came with them. There's just really no good place to put a phone while you work out, especially when it is tethered to your ears via a 3.5 foot cable. And pockets on gym shorts are a recipe for having your phone slide right out and onto the floor. And as phones have become larger, armbands have become more and more cumbersome.

The advent of the original AirPods nearly three years ago changed everything. Getting rid of the wire brought more freedom and far less worry while working out. I was able to just set my phone down with my towel and do my workout.

And then about a year ago with the Apple Watch Series 4 and watchOS 5’s ability to have full-fledged podcast apps, working out wirelessly finally hit its stride. These days I transfer some podcasts to my Apple Watch using Overcast, then I leave my iPhone in my locker. I pair my AirPods to my Watch, and I don’t have to think about anything else. It’s just my Watch, my AirPods, and me.

What’s really great is that because my gym has Wi-Fi, any text messages I receive relay from my phone to my watch, and I can have Siri read them to me and I can dictate a reply — all while on an elliptical.

The Apple Watch and AirPods are a real dynamic duo when it comes to working out, and every year they keep getting better.