I lost my trusty AirPods a couple of days back. And I’ve been cussing under my breath every minute since. For being so stupid. So careless. So inconsiderate.
How the hell could I lose them? How could I possibly survive without them?
I don’t exaggerate when I say that. I literally had those plugs in my ears for the better part of my day since the day I got them (it was a gift actually) two years back. And while its integration with the iPhone was flawless, it worked as seamlessly when I switched to Android.
And then, this stupid thing happened.
I didn’t remember where I’d left but I did remember how I felt — like a near death experience. And I’m not kidding! You don’t know how it is to survive a day without my podcasts, audiobooks, phone calls, ambient music (for focus) and of course random video and audio content (on YouTube, just my subscribed channels, and Netflix)… the list is endless (or maybe that is it)!
I had to take a decision but before that I had to turn my home office and cabin space at work upside down. So, I rolled my sleeves and got to work. A total of 197 minutes (on my stopwatch) later I realised something.
I need to buy a replacement. And since AirPods are expensive, I did some research to see if I can get something even better for less (read: half… there’s where my mind goes). The options were limited, considering that the AirPods will be the most missed in the gym.
Then on Tuesday, out of desperation, I stopped by a “gadget’s store” (that’s the name of the shop, duh?) to explore options. There were many, so I chatted with the salesperson for advice and insight on the best selling models and the best purchase I can make for my budget and requirement.
He showed me a few options. I finally settled on Sennheiser’s CX Sport headset. Drove back home happier… my workouts won’t suffer.
And I was so freaking wrong — the piece was terrible! It just didn’t work well in the gym. Was all treble without any bass! I couldn’t hear a ding at the highest volume setting!
Flabbergasted I called up the store and complained about the product. They asked me to swing by this afternoon for them to check what was wrong. And that’s exactly what I did. The salesperson inspected the piece and surprisingly it worked well there.
I tried to explain the person that it was working there because the environment is much different from the gym. I told him I wasn’t happy with the purchase and would like to go for an alternative brand.
They didn’t have AirPods on Tuesday. I should’ve walked out of the store right then. But I didn’t. And now it was too late for me to do anything. Nonetheless, in the whim of the moment I decided to go for a headphone instead of earbuds. I trained using my Bose QC 35 Headphones (which I primarily use for work and travel) this morning and I quite liked it!
(For a moment, I cussed under my breath for being stupid enough to even consider buying something when I had those fantastic headphones… that are perfect for a training session as well! But then, those are damn expensive. I could literally buy three AirPods with that money. Do I want to risk that? Nope.)
And just then, I saw a JBL wireless headphone with active noise cancelation (like Bose’s… just cheaper and less sophisticated, of course!). I pointed in that direction, the sales guy picked it up and handed over the box to me. I inspected. Read the description and specs. It looks good.
For $180, it was pricey, but then I wasn’t going to get my balance refunded from Tuesday’s purchase. They were just going to issue me a credit note, which I’m not a big fan of anyway. So, essentially, if I were to buy this set of cans, I wouldn’t have to pay a penny extra. But, wait…
I asked the salesperson to open the package and let me check the headphones. He complied. I tested the device. It’s just perfect. Great fit, good sound and very comfortable.
And I bought it. They shared an updated invoice for the new headphone.
I walked out happier. Yet again!
Got into my car and drove back home analysing about what transpired over the past couple of days. My dad would’ve objected to my purchase — I already had the fancy Bose ones and the Marshall mode in-ear buds. Why the heck would I need another one? For the gym? That’s ridiculous!
But training without any cords is just damn liberating. And I can’t let cables come in the way of my lifts.
Then I thought about the price — $180 (remember the AirPods were gifted, so it wasn’t a financial loss, more of an emotional one) was a little too steep for a set of headphones that I’ll primarily use for the gym (more so because I bought a headphone instead of earbuds)… but it didn’t pinch much.
I tried out the new device and it was just damn good!
I parked my car in the garage. Got out of the car. Reached across the passenger’s seat to get my bag and shut the door…
I paused.
I opened the door again.
Looked down at the car’s floor mat… and there lay my trust old AirPods… (Holy fuck!)