I admit that I somewhat subscribe to the “Apple has people brainwashed” theory. And I am an Android user.

But I do use a Mac, so I am objective.

I tried the AirPods and while they were OK, I think they are flawed. So I gave the AirPods to my wife. She didn’t mind. :)

The connectivity is really great with Android, and I imagine it’s even better with iPhone. I liked the tap control functionality. And the case is really awesome.

The sound is OK but the AirPods let in too way much ambient noise. That was a huge factor for me.

And they didn’t fit my ears well at all.

I don’t want to have to rig foam padding on them. I also bought those silicone covers, which helped with the fit, but the AirPods didn’t fit in the case with them.

If I’m paying $160 for earbuds, I want to be able to use them all of the time, have great sound, and not worry about them falling out.

I wound up buying Jaybird Runs and really like them. The in-ear design provides much better sound. You can push buttons on the ear buds to play/stop and instantiate Google voice search. And they actually stay in my ears.

So while I think the AirPods are well designed, I think for $160, they don’t make the cut. I’m sure they’ll improve though.