Apple's AirPods are loved around the world. Many folks end up losing one or both of these wired earphones. While AirPods are great, many folks want wired earphones, and Apple hasn't made new EarPods in a long time. Well, no worries! Hardware prototyping consultant Ken Pillonel has converted AirPods into the most advanced EarPods there are.

Pillonel has added wires and a USB-C connector to AirPods, converting them into EarPods. AirPods are notorious for having terrible repairability, and being easy to lose. Pillonel is famous for modding Apple products, and his latest project seems to another that many folks would actually appreciate. 

A commentary on AirPods' repairability woes

Ken Pillonel has previously made a USB-C iPhone, which sold for $86,000, followed by USB-C AirPods and AirPods Pro. However, those AirPods only had the port on the charging case itself. This new project brings the USB-C connector to the actual AirPods, adding wires to the best wireless earphones you can get.

Pillonel says that he did this because the batteries on his AirPods had gone bust, and he ended up damaging one of the AirPods while tying to replace the batteries. He converted them into wired earphones as a commentary on the widely criticized repairability of the AirPods. iFixit has given both the AirPods and AirPods Pro a 0/10 repairability rating.

Pillonel has previously told iMore about these projects being an attempt to minimize e-waste, and this seems to be another one in that direction. Although wired earphones are arguably the better choice, wireless earphones promise convenience. However, the latter have been steady contributors to e-waste due to the reduced longevity and repairability, which is a problem many folks think Apple should pay attention to.

Regardless, these wired AirPods do make you wonder whether Apple should revive its good old EarPods, with a long overdue update.

What you need to know

• Apple is no longer putting EarPods in the boxes of iPhones sold in France.
• EarPods were already removed from international iPhone boxes.
• Local laws required EarPods to be included in the box until this month.

Apple has stopped putting EarPods in the boxes of new iPhones in France following a change in local laws. Despite removing EarPods from the boxes of iPhones sold internationally, Apple continued to put them in the boxes of French iPhones until now.

The news that local laws were changing popped up earlier this month and Apple has now updated its website to show that the only things included in the boxes of iPhones from now on will be the iPhone itself as well as a USB-C to Lightning cable.

Apple stopped shipping EarPods in the box of international iPhones form iPhone 12 onwards, including last year;s iPhone 13. That went against French laws that required earbuds be included in the box to avoid people from having to put phones to their head to make a call — protecting them from exposure to electromagnetic waves.

While Apple no longer has to put EarPods in the box, French law does not require that it continues to offer them for sale to allow people to buy them if they so wish. In reality, it seems likely that people will opt for more modern wireless solutions including AirPods.

Apple isn't the only company that no longer offers earbuds in its boxes, of course. After initially mocking Apple for removing earbuds from its iPhone boxes Samsung later followed suit with its own devices, just as it did with the 3.5mm headphone jack previously. The same goes for a charger for that matter, too.

What you need to know

• People are wearing wired EarPods like it's 2001 all over again.
• The trend seems to have been started by celebrities for reasons unknown.

Here's something you didn't expect to hear today — EarPods are fashionable again. Or, at least, wired headphones and earbuds are.

The news, as shocking as it might be, comes from a few different angles. It also isn't a new phenomenon, either. Back in 2019 Vogue suggested that celebs were ditching their AirPods in favor of something a little more "vintage." Now, TikTok has had its say, too.

Apparently, people are going back to wires because it's part of the "music aesthetic." That's a thing, see. It's the same as people who listen to vinyl records, too. According to the TikTok account @thedigitalfairy, at least.

Sure, why not. Also, today we all learned that music has an aesthetic.

I'd still very much wager that AirPods are the best iPhone listening experience you're going to come across right now, but I'm so far removed from being fashionable that I've yet to spell it right the first time all the way through this post. So there's that. But who am I to argue with the rich and famous?

Not a fan of EarPods but still looking to jump onto this new fashion trend? These are the best wired alternatives to EarPods we've seen. I'll be sticking to my AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, personally!

What you need to know

• Apple has lowered the price of the iPhone power adapter and EarPods headphones.
• Each accessory now sells for $19 instead of its previous $29 price point.
• The company seems to want to appease those who will miss its inclusion in the box of the iPhone.

Reported by MacRumors, Apple has lowered the price of its EarPods headphones by $10, a move that will hopefully appease customers who will miss the headphones when they are no longer found in the box of the iPhone.

When unveiling the new iPhone 12 lineup, Apple also announced that it would no longer include a power adapter or EarPods headphones in the box with the iPhone anymore. The company says that removing these two products will have the environmental impact of removing more than 400,000 cars from the road every year.

Apple is encouraging customers to use their existing power adapters and headphones they already have, but for those who need or wish to have a new adapter or EarPods, the company has lowered the cost of each accessory by $10.

Apple first removed the power adapter from the boxes of the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE when it launched those products last month, so it was expected that the iPhone would be next. Many wondered if Apple would do anything to help customers who needed a power adapter or EarPods with their new iPhone and, thankfully, it appears that Apple is lowering the price of each to meet that need.

What you need to know

• Code found within iOS 14.2 suggests Apple may remove EarPods from the iPhone 12 box.
• Apple is already anticipated to remove the power adapter from the box.
• The company has already removed the power adapter from the new Apple Watch boxes.

Reported by MacRumors, code found within the iOS 14.2 beta points to the idea that Apple will not be including a set of EarPods in the box with the iPhone 12.

A change in the copy between iOS 14 and iOS 14.2 has been found when talking about "reducing exposure to RF energy." In iOS 14, the copy talks about using the "supplied headphones," but in iOS 14.2, that text has removed the word "supplied."

Previous reports from Ming-Chi Kuo and Dan Ives back in May and June also pointed to Apple removing EarPods from the box of its upcoming iPhones, so this latest find is one more indication that it may be true. The company may launch some kind of promotion to encourage customers to upgrade to AirPods along with their new iPhone.

The removal of EarPods may also be joined by the removal of the 5-watt power adapter, which Apple is rumored to be doing with the iPhone 12 as well. The company removed the power brick from the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE already, so the iPhone would be the next step.

If both rumors turn out to be true, the iPhone 12 would only include a charging cable, which is also expected to now be a USB-C to Lightning cable instead of USB-A to Lightning. Apple has already started shipping such a cable with the iPhone 11 Pro models as the charging brick included with those phones is USB-C.

Inexpensive headphones are a dime a dozen, but it can be hard to find a pair that are actually reliable and sound great. That's why I always end up going back to the Apple EarPods. Yes, EarPods — the wired ones with a 3.5mm headphone plug. Today, Amazon has them on sale at 65% off, meaning you can grab them for only $10.50 instead of their regular $30 price. This is one of the lowest prices they've reached as well, and the Lightning Connector model is on sale today as well for just $17.50.

Apple also sells a 3.5mm headphone to Lightning adapter for just $7.99 in case you need the versatility for multiple devices.

I love my AirPods, but for someone like me who listens to music 24/7, the battery life can't compete with my playlist. When it comes time to charge them up (again), there's no better substitute than the Apple EarPods. They offer virtually the same sound and earbud shape, so there's little difference other than the attached wire... and the ability to listen for as long as you want. That makes them a good way to see whether you like the sound and feel of the AirPods before shelling out over $150 for them, too.

Some of the reviews on Amazon's product page for these headphones are pretty bad, but that's mainly because those customers bought from third-party sellers who often offer fake imitation headphones. Today's deal is coming direct from Amazon, so you can be sure you're getting an official Apple product. Plus, Amazon always makes it easy to get your money back if there's a problem with your order.

Amazon offers free shipping on orders totaling $25 or more, or with an Amazon Prime membership. If you've never been a member before, you can start a free 30-day trial to score free two-day shipping with no order minimum. You'll also gain access to all of Prime's perks such as the Prime Video streaming service, exclusive members-only discounts, and more.

Inexpensive headphones are a dime a dozen, but it can be hard to find a pair that are actually reliable and sound great. That's why I always end up going back to the Apple EarPods. Yes, EarPods — the wired ones with a 3.5mm headphone plug. Today, Woot has them on sale at nearly 70% off their full cost, meaning you can grab a pair for only $8.99 instead of their regular $29 price. This is the best deal we've ever seen on them, too, though the Lightning Connector model isn't on sale today.

You'll save even more by purchasing these headphones in a pack of two or more. For instance, you can snag two for just $14.99 or three for $19.99. There are 5-packs and 10-packs on sale as well which can bring the cost as low as $5 each.

I love my AirPods, but for someone like me who listens to music 24/7, the battery life can't compete with my playlist. When it comes time to charge them up (again), there's no better substitute than the Apple EarPods. They offer virtually the same sound and earbud shape, so there's little difference other than the attached wire... and the ability to listen for as long as you want. That makes them a good way to see whether you like the sound and feel of the AirPods before shelling out around $150 for them, too.

Woot usually charges $6 per order for shipping, though you can score free shipping there by logging in with an Amazon Prime account before checking out. If you've never been a Prime member before, you can start a free 30-day trial to snag free shipping at Woot and Amazon, along with access to all of Prime's perks like the Prime Video streaming service, exclusive members-only discounts, and more.

What you need to know

• Analyst Dan Ives says Apple won't ship EarPods wired earbuds in the iPhone 12 box this year.
• This follows a similar report by Ming-Chi Kuo last month.
• Ives also expects Apple to sell 85 million AirPods in 2020.

Last month saw analyst Ming-Chi Kuo report that Apple won't ship EarPods in iPhone 12 boxes later this year and now a second analyst has added their voice to the mix. Wedbush's Dan Ives says that his own checks show that no wired earbuds will be included in the box according to 9to5Mac.

Ives also notes that he expects Apple to shift as many as 85 million AirPods this year, a huge increase on the 65 million that shipped last year. That number is made all the more impressive considering Apple's retail outlets closed for weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Supply has also been hit and miss for some models, particularly the popular AirPods Pro.

In terms of the iPhone 12 itself, it's thought that the four new models will consist of a collection of 4G and 5G models.

With that in mind we would likely see the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max ship with 4G radios, leaving 5G to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

While rumors persist the iPhone 7 will go 3.5mm headphone jack-free, Apple's done a lot to make the very old port as useful as possible for all of their devices. The EarPods that come with your iPhone or iPod touch can be used to control a wide range of features, including music, calls, and even Siri. So can any other set of headphones, from Beats to Bose, and on iPad as well—as long as they integrate the remote and mic hardware. The remote controls are great for accessibility, but they're also great for convenience. What's more, they also work with the Mac!

If you're not familiar with all the options, here's a complete list!

1. Play/pause

Single click the headset button to play audio — music, podcasts, or audio books — or to pause audio that's already playing.

2. Skip forward

Double click the headset button to skip forward to the next track or chapter.

3. Skip back

Triple click the headset button to skip back to the previous track or chapter.

4. Fast forward

Double click and hold down the headset button to fast forward through the audio.

5. Rewind

Triple click and hold down the headset button to rewind through the audio.

6. Answer or hang up

Single click the headset button to answer and incoming call or hang up an ongoing call.

7. Switch calls

Single click the headset button to switch between multiple calls.

8. Reject a call

Single click and hold down the headset button to send an incoming call to voice mail. (Two low beeps will confirm the rejection.)

9. Hang up on current call

Double click and hold down the headset button to hang up on the current of multiple calls. (Two low beeps will confirm the hang up.)

10. Activate Siri

Single click and hold down on the headset button to active Siri.

11. Talk to Siri

Single click the headset button to ask Siri additional questions or issue additional commands after it's activated.

13. Take a picture

Single click the volume up button while the Camera app is open to take a picture. Works great for selfies!

Your favorite?

I'm pretty sure the remote controls used to work with Voice Recorder, but they're not working for us right now. If you've got any favorite remote controls, or if we missed any, please let me know!

• Our favorite headphones

• Secret Apple Watch controls
• Secret Siri commands
• Secret Safari shortcuts
• Secret Mail shortcuts
• Secret keyboard shortcuts
• Secret power-saving shortcuts
• Secret Apple TV controls

A new project has arrived on Kickstarter called Budsnaps, that claims to be able to stop your Apple earbuds from falling out of your ears when moving around. Anyone who uses Apple’s iconic white earbuds will instantly recognise this problem and now there could be a really simple solution to stop them falling out.

The Budsnaps will be available in different colors and work specifically with the original Apple white earbuds and also with the recently revamped Apple EarPods. If you love using your Apple buds and want to use them when working out or moving around then the Budsnaps could be for you.

If you want to get involved and become one of the first to get your hands on the Budsnaps, you can make a pledge on the projects Kickstarter page. A pledge of $10 will get you a white set if it makes its funding target. It currently sits at just over $1K of pledges from its funding total of $11.5K; the project still has 39 days to go.

What do you think about the Budsnaps? Could you see yourself using something like this to keep your classic earbuds or EarPods in place when working out?

Source: Kickstarter

If you haven't yet upgraded to the iPhone 5, can you get some of that iPhone 5 experience by upgrading to Apple's new EarPods earbuds? At $29 they're not as expensive as high-end earpieces, but they're not exactly cheap either. Compared to the original Apple earbuds, the ones that shipped with every iPhone, iPod, and iPad up until the iPhone 5, are they a worthwhile upgrade, or are you better off waiting and just getting them for "free" with your next iOS device?

EarPods vs earbuds: Comfort and sound

The most noticeably new thing about the new EarPods is their design. The old earbuds used a ubiquitously round shape and speaker while the new EarPods have a more distinct, ergonomic shape that fit the ear canals in a more snug, comfortable fashion, and support a dual output setup.

I hardly ever used the original earbuds as, like many others, I find them ill-fitting and uncomfortable. After many years of submission grappling I have some gangly, nasty cauliflower ears. Yet, even in spite of my haggardly disfigurement, I find the new EarBuds fit quite comfortable and securely.

I am no audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, but due to the ergonomically snug fit of the new design, I found the sound from the earbuds to be more dynamic and had better range and base than the original earbuds. Also, because of the dual setup, they can do noise canceling to help make phone calls sound better as well.

EarPods vs earbuds: Remote and mic

Both the new EarPods and the original earbuds allow the wearer to control their iPhone, iPod, or iPad with an inline remote. You can play or pause, skip forward or back, fast forward or rewind, and of course increase and decrease the volume. And with it’s built in mic you can control calls and interact with Siri, or VoiceControl on earlier generation iPhones.

The remote and mic assembly in the new EarPods, however, is larger and much easier to fumble for, find, and use without looking. Likewise, the original earbuds also seem to have used a lower gauge of wire than the new EarPods which may affect durability.

The mic itself sounds about the same in both.

The bottom line

Overall, I think many people will be happily surprised with the new EarPods from Apple. They sound better, they fit better, and they're easier to use.

So what's the downside? The price tag. The EarPods are $29 and while that's nothing compared to ultra-high end earpieces that can cost hundreds of dollars, it's also not an insignificant chunk of change.

If you like the original earbuds and they work and fit fine for you, then there's no reason to upgrade to the EarPods. Save your money for now, and you'll get them for "free" anyway when you get your next iOS device.

If you hate the original earbuds but don't want to pay a hundred dollars or more for high-end alternatives, than at $29 the EarPods a re good low-mid range option. They sound good for the price, and have all the controls you need for your iOS device.

The new Apple EarPods aren't going to blow anyone's hair back, but while literally anything would have been an improvement over the original earbuds, the EarPods are a better than expected one for the price.

Let's face it -- in-box earbuds have never been anything to write home about. Frankly, they usually suck. Even for as iconic as Apple's white earbuds have become since the release of the first iPod -- they still sucked. They were uncomfortable. They didn't sound good. Even the slightly better Apple In-Ear Headphones, with their rubberized tips, weren't a whole lot better.

That all changes today.

We could rave all day over the improvements Apple's made to your too-often overlooked ear holes. But, really, selling you on these $29 wonders won't take nearly that long.

The fit

Whereas the original Apple Earphones felt (for me, anyway) like some sort of crude torture device, the EarPods are wonderfully benign. The anterior gracefully curves into the stem, which leads to the cables, while the posterior is flat. They earpods definitely have a futuristic look to them. The oval grilles add to that effect. 

The EarPods are hard plastic, so you won't be getting any real noise-cancellation here. That's not surprising, but it's still worth noting. But that doesn't mean they're uncomfortable. Far from it, actually. They've got a much more natural fit. No longer do you feel like you're trying to wedge a plastic disc into your ear with the least amount of discomfort. Not to over-use the terms "comfortable" and "natural," but that's what they are.

The sound

How much do these things cost again? Because they sound good. Really good, actually. For as crappy as the old earbuds were, the EarPods sound that much better.

When was the last time you heard bass come out of a pair of apple buds? If you can't remember, it's time to spring for the EarPods. The bass comes through loud and clear. Highs are surprisingly crisp. Mids are in the middle, where they should be. 

Audiophiles probably won't be happy. (Are they ever?) But on the other hand, these are sub-$50 earbuds. Hell, they're sub-$30 earbuds. If you want better sound, spend more money.

The function

EarPods are more than just mere speakers for your ear holes, of course. There's a dongle on the right-ear cable that controls volume, play/pause and call answering, with 11 functions in all. Apple says the EarPods will work with any generaetoin iPad, the iPhone 3GS and up, iPod classic (120GB and 160GB versions, iPod nano 4th generation and up, and the third-gen iPod shuffle and up.

Sirir's not forgotten, either. Press and hold the center button to activate her. 

The bottom line

This is a no-brainer, folks. For $29 (sans tax or shipping) direct from Apple, anyone unhappy with the previous generation Apple EarPhones should upgrade. Anyone looking for a inexpensive and surprisingly comfortable set should get the EarPods.

Our only complaint -- and this is a small one -- is that we'd prefer just a little more length in the cable. But that's us. It'll probably be long enough for the vast majority of folks out there.

The bottom line is this: The three years Apple spent on the EarPods has paid off, and should guarantee that the little white cables remain an iconic part of personal tech for years to come.

Also: How Apple's EarPods work on Android