You missed the point. The target wasn't to shape the earbuds like the AirTags but to allow the user to unscrew the lithium cell like it's possible on the AirTags.

Products that fail prematurely or wear out while the owner still wants them are poorly designed. The pinnacle of design is a product that works flawlessly until the day you are through with it, at which point every part fails simultaneously. Such a product wasted no excess material in being over-engineered, nor consumed exotic high performance materials when they were unwarranted, nor repair visits, nor extra fuel in transport.

And there is still a market for them because some people still want to enjoy music seated and do nothing else at the same time. Of course, plenty more people want something else.

Indeed, but for maximum utility, the second hand market is included in the "you" here. Things can continue to be useful to someone long after the first owner is through with them.

What about the 2nd, 3rd, etc user of the item? You're ignoring the second hand market.

I use Cameras that were made in the 30's, they still work despite the original user being "through with it" some time ago.

But in the XT/AT days mice just connected to the serial port with a 9 pin D sub. Mice weren't all that common in those days anyway as most programs were still text based.

Are you thinking of Stax electrostatic headphones? That describes them, but they can sound amazing and people definitely still use them.

60s headphones used the same jacks we have now, but they don't last forever and the plastics then weren't as comfortable as the ones now.

Is the product going to be trashed? Is it made of recyclable materials? Does it have materials in it that are hazardous to the environment? Can it be easily disassembled so those materials can be processed differently?

I will say that going direct isn't without problems, though. I can't tell you how many adapters and dongles I've lost. At this point it feels like a wash with how much ends up in a landfill. I'd love for everything to support 3.5mm but that's not the world we live in.

Headphones should keep working even if the manufacturer goes bust and stops providing software support. And even if your battery dies and spare parts are unavailable. That is precisely the reason why we also sell a cable with a 3.5mm jack for these cans. That way, this product is long-lasting and sustainable even in the (hopefully hypothetical) case that we are not able to support them anymore.

That is the best out of both worlds: you get wireless connectivity and ANC now. And you will be able to use them for as long as you would with wired ones.

I honestly (not hyperbolicly) don't see how a phone not having a 3.5mm jack is relevant to the headphones _having_ a 3.5mm jack

By your same logic, if you need to use dongles with a brand new MacBook, today, is the MacBook thus not useable?

(I don't use a MacBook in 2023)

The dongle solution seems to only be good for sitting at a desk. Not for a device that is literally called "a mobile".

> Wireless headphones last a couple of years, where wired headphones last decades.

Those wired headphones that last decades also won't get any advances made during their lifetime...

i usually buy cheap wired ear buds that i can listen to while i walk to work

Nice headphones can last a decade or more, and be made of entirely user-serviceable parts.

So, I have been served wel by both.

We’ve found the time traveler!

Thankfully, replacing cables on big headphones is a fitting challenge for newbies as soldering.

But ultimately this means, as long as I don't lose them I can repair/replace the wire as needed.

My daughter's modern Sennheiser headphones though, work across the house, through two walls. And the battery literally lasts over eight hours, for all I know it might have lasted another eight. Seriously impressive.

Encouraging to see some auto manufacturers calling out touchscreens. The marketing for so-called "tech" is some of the worst I have ever seen. The "technology" is half-baked.

There's technology and then there's just data collection and surveillance, aka "tech". The later needs non-stop hype. No wonder it's goal is planned obsolescence. The stuff is not high quality. Never was and never will be.

That makes no sense; why would they only last a couple years? I've had a pair of Bose QC35 for 5 years now, and they're still working great and are compatible with any devices I used them with, from 10 year old laptops to recent Android and Apple phones.