May 1, 2024

Engineer Behind USB-C AirPods Creates World's First Wired AirPods [Video]

Posted April 1, 2023 at 2:25pm by iClarified · 4279 views
Ken Pillonel, the robotics engineer that recently modified AirPods with USB-C support, has now created the world's first wired AirPods.

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The first and second generations of AirPods made by Apple were given a score of 0 out of 10 by repair specialists at iFixit. A few years later, the Pro version came out, and it still received a 0 out of 10. AirPods are not designed to be serviced. No hardware components can be accessed without damage to the device, making it a consumable/disposable item. Hundreds of millions of devices were sold, each one having three sealed-in batteries. This makes it a total electronic waste disaster.

After the success of my previous project, a 3D-printed case and custom USB-C part (available for sale) for the AirPods Gen. 1, 2, and Pro, I (Ken Pillonel) decided to create this tongue in cheek project to bring awareness to the aforementioned repairability issues. Last year, I did a similar project where I created the first Android phone with a Lightning connector.

The goal was to create a project that doesn't make much sense, but gets the viewer to react by stating the obvious: just buy wired earphones or don't buy unrepairable products! Hopefully by thinking it, they will apply the same logic to their own purchasing habits.
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Note that Apple's AirPods Pro 2 are currently on sale for $194.99, down from $249 and their lowest price ever!

Check out the video below...