By Luca Filigenzi, Local Section Editor

AirPods are stupid and nothing more than a status symbol. Wired headphones are infinitely superior to these ‘wireless’ ones. 

If you have ever seen me walking around on campus, you have probably seen me with a set of wired headphones extending from my pocket to my ears. Merrily I roll along, as I have since I got an iPhone 4. Now I see all these people walking around with these tiny things lodged in their ears, completely detached from their phones.

It is not just the aesthetics of AirPods that bug me, sometimes when I’m trying to talk to someone, they still have an AirPod in one of their ears. Even if they are not listening to music while I am trying to talk to them, it looks like they are, which impacts how invested in the conversation I feel they are. Whereas with wired headphones, if someone has them in they are clearly not listening. If they do not have them in, that tells me they are at least listening, in theory. 

Something else that bothers me about AirPods is how difficult they are to operate compared to wired ones. When you buy the AirPods, you are not just buying headphones. They need to be charged so you have to get a charger, keep your case around and NOT lose even one of them. Whereas with wired headphones, you make just one purchase and you don’t need anything else. Also, wired headphones are tethered. If one falls out of your ears when you walk, you don’t need to stop, walk back, and pick it up. Just keep walking and pull the string like reeling in a fish. 

Also, the price of AirPods is another reason wired ones are better. AirPods can range anywhere from $20 to $50, while wired headphones are available at under $10. I honestly do not think anyone can justify paying above $40 for something they could lose within a month. Now, I want to address a complaint I have heard about wired headphones and debunk it. The biggest one I have heard when voicing this opinion is that wired headphones get tangled all the time. They do — that’s part of the fun. When you get to class just as it is starting and you are holding the tangled cords in your hand, they are tangled, but, it gives you something to do when you are bored in class. Similar to a fidget cube, it stimulates your mind so it is more active for class. Not to mention the cords are pretty fun in general. Just spinning them around is way better than putting them in a case and throwing them in a bag.  

I do not like AirPods. I think they are fine at playing music, but not at much else. The cost that they represent to convenience, conversation and carrying are all too much. So, when I walk from Justice to Gallagher and see everyone using wireless headphones instead of the far superior wired ones, it makes me sad about the state of affairs in this world.