After yet another winter break full of gift giving, it’s very common to see students on their first day back flaunting their gifts from the holiday season. Whether it be trendy clothing items, new technology, or the hottest new pair of shoes, some gift ideas become much more popular than others each year.

It became obvious very quickly that Apple AirPods, the $159 wireless headphones released by Apple on December 13, 2016, are the hottest new technology at LHS. Even though their popularity is through the roof, one question remains: Are Apple AirPods really worth all the hype?

Apple AirPods are a rendition of Apple’s classic white earbuds, but wireless. AirPods automatically connect to a phone through Bluetooth. According to Apple’s website, the portable charging case charges the AirPods and gives more than 24 hours of listening time. Only 15 minutes of charge in the case provides 3 hours of listening time. That’s a plus in terms of longevity. Students can listen all day without needing to charge the earbuds.

Overall, we think that everyone has been hyping up AirPods as they should be. If you’re all about listening to your music in the best possible way and care about how you look, then go and spend your money. For other people like me, I feel that the free headphones you get with your iPhone work perfectly.

As soon as you place the AirPods in your ears, your song begins playing. Once they are removed from your ears, your song automatically pauses. Another feature included with AirPods is Siri. By double tapping or simply using the command “Hey Siri,” you can control volume, your songs, make a phone call, or even get directions.

Teens who often lose homework, pencils, and more, won’t lose AirPods. If you were to lose your AirPods, you can sign into Find my iPhone and it will show where the AirPods are on a map, and you have the option to play a sound from them if you are close by.

A benefit to owning AirPods is that they are free of the wires that always become tangled no matter how hard you try to keep them from not becoming a giant knot. Running, exercising, and working out are now easier; there is nothing in the way. However, for some, the shape of the earbud doesn’t fit easily. If the traditional Apple earbuds won’t fit, these won’t either.

“My favorite thing is the fact that if I were to drop my phone, the buds don’t fall out. But the worst thing for me is they don’t have the volume tab that the wire ones do, so I have to change the volume on my phone. This isn’t really a huge issue, but it’s something I wish they had,” said Skylar Stevenson, Class of 2021.

Now that there isn’t a cord, listening with friends has become much easier. If one person were to get up and move away a short distance while sharing AirPods, they can now continue to listen to music without being disrupted. Often when anyone would listen to music with friends, if one person were to lean over, the earbud would pop right out of both people’s ears. The AirPods are most definitely a solution to this issue.

If you’re listening with a friend, and someone walks too far away from the other, the music will cut out until you’re back in range.

“Sometimes, if I have both AirPods in and take one out, the other pauses, and when I put it back in it doesn’t play, so I have to physically log back into my phone to start playing music again,” said Allison Byrnes, Class of 2021.

With AirPods becoming more popular among students, it may become a problem in schools. Teachers can’t spot them as easily as earbuds or headphones since they can be covered by hair or a strategically placed hand over the ear.

“I haven’t noticed any of my students using AirPods, which is probably the point for students using them. They have changed the learning environment because students are becoming sneaky and more dependent of their technology,” said English teacher Mary Troxel.

Before AirPods were popular, the trend was Beats headphones. Beats are more expensive than AirPods, because they are full headphones, and they are noise cancelling. The sound cushion of beats helps to cancel outside noise.

“AirPods were better than I thought they would be, but definitely not better than my Beats. AirPods are pretty loud and cancel out outside noise, but beats do that too, and way better,” said Julian Rodriguez, Class of 2021.

We found that when talking to people they had gotten their AirPods for Christmas or as gifts. When we asked them if they would purchase them with their own money all the answers were “No.” It really just comes down to the cost. Sure, everyone would love to have a pair, but they just aren’t willing to spend that much money on them.

Garrett Schwartzbeck, Class 2020 said, “If I didn’t get my AirPods for Christmas then I wouldn’t have bought them myself because they are way too much money.”

We would say the AirPods are beneficial to the way people are listening to music; however, we do think that they are a little too high priced for what they are. The iPhone earbuds are only $30 in comparison to $159 for AirPods. In the long run, the only huge difference is AirPods are Bluetooth technology and the wireless feature. If the price was more affordable then they would be a much better purchase.