Twelve South is aiming to make your AirPods more versatile with its new AirFly Bluetooth to 3.5 mm adapter. AirFly lets you link your AirPods to wired-only connections, like in-flight entertainment systems on planes, or treadmills at the gym. The battery lasts eight hours between charges, so you can get through more than one movie on a flight. AirFly is priced at US$39.99 and is available at the Twelve South website, Amazon, along with InMotion stores and Best Buy kiosks in airports.
AirPods
Catalyst Waterproof Case for AirPods
Check out Catalyst’s Waterproof Case for AirPods, a protective cover for your AirPods case that is both waterproof (IP67, up to 33 feet) and offers 40 feet of drop protection. The video below shows how that works, and I think it’s pretty cool, especially for active folks. They’re available in multiple colors, including Frost White, Blueridge/Sunset, Slate Gray, Deep Plum, Army Green, and Glow-in-the-Dark. The company announced Tuesday that these cases will be available in Best Buy stores and the BestBuy.com, and you can find them on the Catalyst website, as well as Amazon, and they’re priced at $24.99 at all three locations. [Edit: Dave Hamilton also thought this case was cool, as he wrote about them in January. Check out his personal video in that piece. – Bryan]
Here Are Apple's Best Recent Product Releases
What are the best devices released by Apple in the past few years? That’s a pretty subjective list, so I asked the TMO staff what they thought, and the answers were pretty interesting.
Spinner Madness, Apple's Best Products, and WWDC Tea Leaves - ACM 453
In this episode, Bryan Chaffin leads Jeff Gamet down into the ugly underbelly of FSM, or Fidget Spinner Madness. You can blame Mitsubishi if you want. They also talk about what TMO’s staff thinks were recent great Apple products and read the WWDC tea leaves. Does the WWDC website really mean anything?
PSA: Be Sure to Write Down Your AirPods Serial Number
Apple doesn’t say why it won’t replace the case without the number.
iOS: How to Use Siri Hands Free From Your iPhone Lock Screen
Using Siri hands free with AirPods is great, but then I ran into a problem.
Apple's AirPower Wireless Charging Mat Reportedly Coming in March
When Apple unveiled its AirPower wireless charging mat last September the company said it would ship some time in 2018, and it’s looking like “some time” may be March.
AirPods with 'Hey Siri' Support Coming this Year
Apple’s second generation AirPods are reportedly in the works and will include “Hey Siri” support instead of requiring a tap before giving voice commands.
Apple Investigating Exploding AirPods Report
Apple is looking into a Florida report of an AirPod battery failure that turned the device into a a charred and mangled mess.
iOS: How to Check Your AirPods Firmware Version
Apple updates AirPods firmware automatically. At this time there is no way for iPhone users to do it manually.
CES – Catalyst Waterproof Case for AirPods Featured at Unveiled
Catalyst is still one of the only companies to offer a case for your AirPods, and now have won a CES Innovation Award for it. They were showing off the case and its new colors at CES Unveiled on Sunday. With most people just now having finally gotten AirPods, I figured this was a good time to call this a Cool Stuff Found for you all.
WSJ Says Apple Product Delays Doubled Under Tim Cook
The product delays the WSJ refer to are the HomePod, the original Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Pencil, and the Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro.
Apple's iPhone Battery Response, Favorite iPhone Accessories for 2017 - TMO Daily Observations 2017-12-29
Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet for the last show of the year to look at Apple’s response to the worn out iPhone battery controversy, plus they share some favorite iPhone accessories.
tvOS: Use AirPods With Apple TV Much Faster With This Trick
This should also work with other Apple headphones as long as it has a W1 chip.
AirPods Sold Out Until Early January 2018
If you’re planning on giving someone AirPods as a holiday present, you better already have them because Apple is sold out into January.
Apple Doubles Down on Proximity Sensing Tech with $390M Finisar Investment
Apple has big plans for proximity sensing technology in its products because it just invested US$390 million in VCSEL laser maker Finisar.
Apple Taps Sam Smith in 'Sway' Holiday Commercial for AirPods
Apple has a new holiday commercial out called Sway. The spot channels the feeling of Christmas without overtly mentioning that specific holiday, with a sound track by Sam Smith (“Palace”). It’s a subtle promotion of AirPods featuring two young dancers who meet and metaphorically fall in love. She gives him one of her AirPods, and they then dance and sway through the snow sharing the same song. The tag line is “move someone this holiday.” What do you think?
Want AirPods Today? Swing by Your Apple Store
If you’ve been pining for AirPods but haven’t felt like waiting weeks for delivery after ordering, head on over to your local Apple retail store because there’s a good chance you’ll find them on the shelf.
You Can Use AirPods on Airplanes
Want to use your AirPods on your next flight? Go ahead, because the FAA says it’s OK to use them—along with other Bluetooth headphones—on airplanes.
iOS 11: How to Customize Taps for Each of Your AirPods
Today’s Quick Tip is about using your AirPods with iOS 11—you can now customize what each individual AirPod does when you double-tap it! We think this is a pretty cool addition to the new version of iOS.
AirPods Wireless Charging Case May Ship in December
Apple’s AirPower and Qi-compatible wireless charging case for AirPods may ship this December.
Apple Intros AirPower Charging Mat, Wireless Charging AirPods Case
Apple’s surprise products at its “Let’s meet at our place” event were a large wireless charging plate for its new products, and an AirPods wireless charging case.
Apple Store Offline Ahead of iPhone X Launch Event
Apple’s online store was replaced with the familiar “We’ve got something special in store for you” sign early Tuesday morning ahead of today’s “Let’s meet at our place” media event.
iOS 10: Change Your AirPods' Behavior
If you’ve got some of Apple’s awesome little AirPods, you should know that you can change how they work; you could adjust what happens when you double-tap them, for example. That’s the subject of today’s Quick Tip!
