After losing (or potentially being picked up by someone) my previous AirPods (first-generation Pros, bought in 2020), I constantly debated between purchasing new ones or attempting to find my existing ones. AirPods serve one purpose: to listen to audio.
It's simply not exciting to buy new AirPods like it is with a new MacBook or, on occasion, an iPhone. That meant there seemed to be more value in finding my old AirPods over buying new ones and dropping £250 on something that does mostly the same as the previous ones. That said, I've been using other earphones for the time being, and the difference between them and the AirPods they are covering for is phenomenal. I have seriously missed them.
Almost two months have passed since I first noticed I couldn't find them, and I must admit, it's been not easy without them. Going on runs or walks without them and using poor-quality earphones has been awful. Switching between my MacBook and my iPhone or Apple Watch has been a bit of a nightmare, but worst of all, I cannot watch films in my bedroom late at night with my windows open because my wireless earphones will not connect to my TV as my AirPods do. These are just small things, and I do get it, but I never like perpetually looking for something, and at some point, you do need to declare enough is enough and buy replacement ones - they just weren't going to show up.
So I did just that. I took my advice and opted to drop £230 on new ones to replace something that may eventually turn up.
How these change my technological lifestyle
These AirPods have resulted in a significant milestone in my technological life. The 2nd generation AirPods Pro now features USB-C charging, a game changer for me. One of my childhood 'dreams', I guess, was that one day, we would have one connector for everything. USB attempted this, but it didn't quite do it as it didn't support everything (such as video streams over the connector), so it wasn't really the right connector for everything. That's where USB-C changed everything, as I said back in 2015 when discussing Thunderbolt 3.
Now, my AirPods mean I no longer need a Lightning cable in my backpack. USB-C charges everything, and while I use my MagSafe connector with my MacBook Pro more than any other, at least my MacBook Pro can be charged with USB-C if that was all I had.
Finally, one connector that does it all.
