@ShadowJonathan yeah, the problem is when your warranty runs out, you've got 2 months max of usage before they're fucked and you have to buy something else out of pocket.

@dysfun I have 2 more years of warranty lol

Originally I bought apple's warranty (for 60 euros) so I don't need to pay 300 or something to get it replaced if it breaks "in a year or so", I thought

Instead, now I get free replacements if they're factory errors, and so far they've all been classified as such, and even if I have to replace it for a user error, it's 30 euros, for as long as the warranty lasts

Yes I read the warranty terms, they're actually pretty good, but now apple's ass build quality is making my purchase into a loss for them, and honestly, it is their fault for that

These things work well 95% of the time and then they break, after which I can get a free one cuz of this warranty, and be annoyed for a week or so before I get essentially a new product back

@dysfun @ShadowJonathan electrically it's essentially trivial. the challenge is primarily mechanical and material, i.e. designing something with the right shape to act like a speaker box, while remaining a good fit for people's ears, and being durable and manufacturable.

most earbuds are injection moulded plastic too so you need to be at 100k+ unit scale to make it cost effective. not sure if there's a lower volume process that's suitable; not really my area.

@dysfun @ShadowJonathan sourcing good batteries of that size is also probably a right pain in the ass unless you're buying 100k+ of them.