View Full Version : Wired article about white earphones
kauffee
10-12-2004, 09:24 AM
I know there are a lot of us that feel this way...
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,65278,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3
Originally posted by kauffee
I know there are a lot of us that feel this way...I swear to God, I thought I was the only one. Suddenly I feel a little bit "normal"!
That "trend-tracker" who think its all "middle-aged ex-college rockers who have a guilt complex about rediscovering the bad-boy tunes of their youth" doesn't seem to be doing a very good job of tracking trends, though. Could it be that a lot of us just use the iPod because its the best DAP?
justgotmyipod
10-12-2004, 11:51 PM
i dont feel like other people to look at me in a totally different way because of my posession. thats materialism. I have heard of people getting abused for their ipods and the easy-to-see white buds. better not be one of them.
MartyMcPod
10-13-2004, 01:12 AM
Most rationalize it, he said, saying they get better audio from different headphones. But in reality, they're asserting their individuality.
In reality, the Apple buds suck. I don't think anyone is rationalizing...
enjoilax
10-13-2004, 01:37 AM
Yea, I'm starting to see the buds more and more... I think i'm going to get a new pair of ear phones now. :\
Maybe i will just color my earphones? LOL.
caprimulgus
10-14-2004, 01:46 PM
i agree with the stuff about not wearing the white earphones so as not to be seen as a "trendy"...but i think the thing about belonging to the group of people who don't belong is pushing it a bit.
by wearing black earphones people want to disassociate themselves from the new trendy thing...but they do so by going back to the normal black, and getting lost in the standard colour, rather than this idea of joining the new group of people who wear black for the sake of not wearign white.
cause even tho the white earphones are becoming more prominent, the black earphone is still the majority. it is only because the white earphones are different and are associated with the one product that they have become distinct and identified. you dont notice black earphones because they are so widespreadly used for different devices.
if you do feel like you belong to a group of anti-white ipod users, then really, you are just as bad as those you are trying to distinguish yourself from. you are being just as materialistic and trend-following (albeit in a smaller scale), just in a hypocritical elitist fashion.
but yeah, the article was ok, although maybe a bit obvious.
MartyMcPod
10-14-2004, 01:58 PM
Wearing black doesn't put you in a nother group of "blackheadphone" wearers. The black headphones are completely neutral, and I think that's the point.
I don't wear the apple buds, because they sound bad, and I don't want to be an iPodder. I like my iPod, but I don't want to identify with it. It's a music player, and I identify much more with the actual music that's on it. It's a tool that makes my day more enjoyable. I would prefer if the whole thing was black. it wouldn't make it function any different.
I don't want to be in the "because it's not white" group. I just want to listen to my music, without sending the message that I am a corporate loving whore, who wants to advertise for iPod.
Just leave me alone!
caprimulgus
10-14-2004, 02:01 PM
sorry, double post.
rupertz
10-14-2004, 02:08 PM
One of the hacks I write about in my book concerns the options for upgrading your ears (or earphones). Of all the things that can improve the iPod experience getting a better pair of earphones is the ultimate. It really is a shame that Apple has scrimped on the earphones.
caprimulgus
10-14-2004, 02:26 PM
Originally posted by MartyMcPod
Wearing black doesn't put you in a nother group of "blackheadphone" wearers. The black headphones are completely neutral, and I think that's the point.
I don't wear the apple buds, because they sound bad, and I don't want to be an iPodder. I like my iPod, but I don't want to identify with it. It's a music player, and I identify much more with the actual music that's on it. It's a tool that makes my day more enjoyable. I would prefer if the whole thing was black. it wouldn't make it function any different.
I don't want to be in the "because it's not white" group. I just want to listen to my music, without sending the message that I am a corporate loving whore, who wants to advertise for iPod.
Just leave me alone!
uh, i dont know if you are referring to me, but i just said basically exactly the same thing you did...
ps. i dont use the white earphones because i use headphones.
if i was to use earphones tho, i still wouldnt want to use the white earphones because i wouldnt want to be identify with this group as following the trend.
but i guess i would probably end up using the white ones only because i would be too cheap to buy another pair, aha. if i was to buy a new pair of earphones, i would definitely not buy white ones (unless i wanted some particular earphone that only came in white, or because it was cheap or something).
To be fair, Apple headphones are better than most headphones that ship with portable audio products these days. Somehow its industry standard to ship a pair of crap headphones...amazingly, many people are just fine with that.
Its really funny that what the "trend-watchers" out there seem to think is trendy is really not the iPod, but the cheap white headphones that come with them! Change to standard black headphones, and you're back to being whoever you were before. ;)
MartyMcPod
10-14-2004, 04:46 PM
You're right caprimulgus. I'm just a moron.
I was in a hurry when I wrote that, and took the comment you made about getting lost in a sea of black headphones, as meaning you were saying that people who wear black headphones are just joining their own other group anyway.
As long as we all understand each other.
bdb, that's funny that you say that about the trend watchers. There should be anti-white headphone day, when all the iPod users that don't use the stock buds, put them on for a day, and in your pocket, attached to the other end, is a lump of crap or something...
Not that you would want to keep a lump of crap in your pocket, but you get my point.
Or maybe, we should send them all to one person, who can put them in a big pile, and set fire to them, and post pictures on here...
Or, we can just keep using our good headphones, and leave the white buds in a drawer, where they probably are now...
ginalee
10-14-2004, 04:57 PM
Tis true, my 2 apple pairs are in the drawer gathering dust. But my other ones are still white, can't quite make the anti-white team eh?
Sorry to make you guys jealous but Austria is an extremely safe - no need to fear, even with white earplugs
MartyMcPod
10-14-2004, 05:22 PM
Ahh-Stria, where Ahh-Nold is from. Sweet.
It's pretty safe here. I wouldn't worry about getting mugged or anything.
There are tons of people at my college with white buds. It's like a sea of trendy.
Abercromie, American Eagle, those damn Von Dutch hats, all topped off with a little white earbud cord from apple. :rolleyes:
Love Austria - beautiful mountains, nice people, cows with bells.
I feel just as safe walking around in the dark here in the US as I do in Austria - in other words, my main concern would be stepping in something! Most of the black-bud wearers are doing it for the same reason as me - we don't want to be defined by our DAP.
MartyMcPod
10-14-2004, 06:14 PM
bdb. Well put. I think that's what it boils down to. I don't want to be defined by anything in my appearance, but that will never be the case. My long hair (I'm a guy), my tattoo, my small hemp bracelets, definitely mirror some of my beliefs and my way of life. (No, I'm not a hippie :D)
Beyond that though, my clothes are to keep my naked a*s from sticking to my desk... Jeans and a tshirt. Jeans and a tshirt. Jeans and a tshirt... Day after day after day...
I want to be defined by my personality!!! (Actually... I'd much rather not be defined at all...)
thedodgyguy
10-14-2004, 06:38 PM
I do wonder why Audio-Technica doesn't release their 'good gear' overseas. I'm sure 'non white' iPod users will be falling over themselves to buy their stuff.
Originally posted by MartyMcPod
I want to be defined by my personality!!! (Actually... I'd much rather not be defined at all...) Actually, I kind of take heart that people are totally unaware of the freaky #### that goes on in my head.:p
Joshdude
10-14-2004, 08:41 PM
I don't mind the Apple buds. I used to avoid them, because they were uncomfortable to me, but I use them a lot now because they are so easy to pop in and out. And I don't worry about being seen as a "trend follower." What, are people going to be disgusted with me when they see my white earbuds? Will they think I'm just another corporate sheep? Well, if they do, that's fine with me. I don't really have anything to prove. I just don't want to spend money on another pair of earbuds. Besides, I had an iPod before they got really popular. So there.
MartyMcPod
10-14-2004, 08:48 PM
Sure you did Joshdude... Sure you did... :D
I guess that's the difference between me and you. I don't mind if people think most things of me.
I wore the white buds for a while when I first got my iPod, and I didn't switch because they were white. I liked my cheap black sonys more. I would still use them, if I didn't have other ones now.
There isn't a ridiculous amount of iPodders around here, as this isn't a huge city, but there are a few. I don't mind being seen as a part of that group, I just don't feel like I am. I don't feel like an iPodder, as many people on these forums are, so I try not to give off a message that I'm about something I'm not, or that I like something I'm not, etc.
It's not that big a deal though...
Oh yeah, and I've had my iPod, like, forever... :p
Arrrrgh
10-15-2004, 10:38 PM
I feel just as safe walking around in the dark here in the US as I do in Austria - in other words, my main concern would be stepping in something! Most of the black-bud wearers are doing it for the same reason as me - we don't want to be defined by our DAP.
You clearly do not live in New York or Chicago ;-)
jessica.
12-24-2004, 07:53 PM
I really think that the whole "ipod nod" is a total load of crap. iPod is like any music player, it plays music. While I understand that many feel that the iPod is a far superior machine than all others, I believe that people who have one like it, love it even, and enjoy the size and the ease of use....ones who don't either haven't had an opportunity to buy one or do not want one.
My nephew is about to get a new 20g ipod for Christmas. He has held a CD player for years. Logically I felt it was time to get into the mp3 era. I talked to him about it because laying down $300 for a music player for a 13 year old is a bit much in my eyes---considering he enjoys his CDs very much. But I thought that he has shown great commitment to take care of his stuff and great commitment to music. When I asked him about mp3 players he said that he did not want an iPod because it was white. So I showed him the iRiver. He liked it a lot, but felt the iPod felt better in his hands. So he got an iPod and an ebony iSkin--which solves the white problem. He has a nice pair of DJ-type headphones that I bought him last month and I'm sure he'll use those.
This quote, "Most rationalize it, he said, saying they get better audio from different headphones. But in reality, they're asserting their individuality."
No friend. I think the guy writing that article is a troll. He IS wearing another set of earphones because they sound better. The ear buds hurt my ears to all hell. My other pair happen to be the apple in ear phones because honestly, I liked the white---it didn't dawn on me that people would always associate the white cord with an ipod....today I don't care.
If some moron nods at me because I have an ipod then he's a troll too. You don't see BMW owners waving to each other on the street. Why should iPod owners? If you associate compatibility with someone based on a piece of plastic and metal then best of luck to you in your friendships. ;)
fiznut
12-25-2004, 01:02 PM
Haha, it's a totally different story where I live. I think i'm one of the few people with iPods in my town. I have never seen anyone using an iPod in public here. I'm sure there's people that have them, but for some reason you never see them around. Don't have to feel trendy in southwestern Virginia! :D