AirPods Might be Getting Worse and Matter has FINALLY Landed!
Audio Brief
Show transcript
This episode explores a technically impressive but practically questionable Xiaomi concept phone, alongside a deep dive into reports of degraded active noise cancellation on Apple AirPods.
There are four key takeaways from this discussion. First, objective evaluation of product performance over time requires critical assessment of testing methodologies, as human hearing is inherently subjective and unreliable for subtle changes. Second, physical maintenance is crucial; regular cleaning of audio equipment microphones can prevent active noise cancellation degradation caused by physical buildup. Third, while technically impressive, phone-camera hybrids face significant market challenges, consistently failing to find broad appeal due to inherent compromises. Fourth, perceived declines in product performance are rarely a single issue, instead stemming from a complex interplay of subtle software changes, hardware wear, and individual perception.
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra concept phone introduces a unique design allowing a full-size Leica M-series lens to mount directly onto a second, exposed 1-inch sensor. This represents a significant technical achievement in phone-camera integration. However, the market appeal for such a bulky and costly device is questionable, mirroring past failures of similar niche products like the Sony QX series.
Reports suggest Apple's active noise cancellation on AirPods Max and Pro has degraded following firmware updates. This sparked a detailed investigation into potential causes, moving beyond a largely debunked patent lawsuit from Jawbone.
Potential factors include intentional software tweaks by Apple to reduce ear pressure and changes in third-party testing equipment, making historical data incomparable. Ultimately, the inherent subjectivity of human hearing, prone to unreliable "ear memory," plays a significant role in perceived performance changes.
A practical and often overlooked cause for ANC decline is hardware degradation. Microphones can become clogged with oil and earwax over time, directly impairing their ability to effectively cancel noise.
These discussions highlight the complex interplay of technical innovation, user perception, and product lifecycle challenges in consumer technology.
Episode Overview
- The hosts discuss recent tech news, starting with the extreme volatility at Twitter before moving to a new Xiaomi concept phone that attaches a full-size Leica lens to a dedicated sensor.
- A deep dive into the controversy surrounding AirPods Max active noise cancellation, analyzing data from RTINGS.com, debunking a popular lawsuit theory, and conducting a blind audio test to gauge the perceived changes.
- An explainer on the new universal smart home standard, Matter, and its underlying protocol, Thread, which promises to unify devices from different ecosystems like Google, Apple, and Amazon.
- The conversation highlights the practical challenges of merging different product categories, the subjectivity of performance metrics, and the future of a more interconnected and locally-controlled smart home.
Key Concepts
- Xiaomi's Camera-Phone Concept: A discussion of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra concept, a phone with a secondary one-inch sensor designed to mount a full-size Leica M-mount lens, representing a literal merge of professional camera hardware and smartphone technology.
- The Hybrid Camera-Phone Dream: An exploration of the long-standing but difficult-to-execute idea of combining a dedicated camera's large sensor and optics with a smartphone's user-friendly interface and connectivity.
- AirPods Max ANC Controversy: An analysis of the widespread belief that Apple's AirPods Max active noise cancellation has worsened over time due to firmware updates, fueled by user anecdotes and a Verge article.
- Scrutinizing Performance Data: The conversation questions the validity of direct comparisons between old and new ANC test data from RTINGS.com, as the site updated its testing equipment between firmware releases, particularly for low-frequency accuracy.
- Jawbone Lawsuit Misconceptions: It's clarified that Jawbone is suing numerous tech companies over general microphone patents, not specifically targeting Apple's ANC, making it an unlikely cause for any firmware changes.
- Matter Smart Home Standard: An introduction to Matter, a new universal protocol designed to resolve fragmentation in the smart home market by allowing devices from different manufacturers to communicate and work together seamlessly.
- Thread Mesh Network Protocol: An explanation of Thread, a low-power, self-healing mesh network that underpins Matter, enabling faster, more secure, and more reliable local communication between smart devices without relying on the cloud.
Quotes
- At 0:49 - "The reason we're not talking about Twitter all the time is number one, I made a video which I think concisely summarizes my general thoughts on Twitter." - Marques Brownlee explaining his decision not to cover the Twitter situation in detail on the podcast.
- At 4:29 - "They added a second one-inch type sensor to the phone... and then there's an adapter that slaps onto the back of the phone and then you can put a full Leica lens on top of that." - David Imel explaining the core feature of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra concept phone.
- At 11:00 - "We want the great cameras, but we want the UI of our phones... if we find a good way to merge the two, we'll be set." - Marques Brownlee articulating the ideal but elusive goal of combining professional camera quality with the convenience and software of a smartphone.
- At 23:23 - "Verge put out an article called, 'I'm convinced the AirPods Max active noise cancellation has gotten worse.'" - David introduces the central topic of discussion, referencing a popular article that fueled the controversy.
- At 25:25 - "In between beginning to test them and this new firmware, they updated their test bench, and they updated their test bench specifically to have more accuracy in the lower frequencies." - Ellis explains a critical flaw in comparing the old and new RTINGS.com test results for the AirPods Max ANC, making the data less conclusive than it appears.
- At 27:43 - "I think one has slightly better noise cancellation than two." - Marques gives his verdict on the blind audio test, with all the hosts agreeing the difference between the "old" and "new" ANC simulations is extremely minor and difficult to notice.
- At 36:05 - "We have a bunch of different smart home ecosystems... they run on their own standards or protocols... In the future, there should be a universal protocol where they all talk to each other... and that is Matter." - Marques provides a simple, high-level explanation of what Matter is and the problem it aims to solve in the smart home industry.
- At 40:28 - "One fundamental part of Matter is called Thread... Thread is basically you're making your own little intranet mesh network." - David begins to explain the technology behind Matter, highlighting how Thread creates a local, self-healing network between smart devices in a home.
- At 41:39 - "It's more secure because you have your own little intranet. It's way faster... because you don't say, 'Turn on the light in my bedroom,' and that Nest Hub has to connect to the internet... it just hits the light and then turns on the light." - David explains the two primary benefits of the Matter and Thread combination: improved security and significantly lower latency for commands.
Takeaways
- Be skeptical of online narratives about product performance degradation; perceived changes can be highly subjective and technical data may lack proper context, such as changes in testing methodology.
- Ambitious hardware concepts that merge two product categories, like a camera and a phone, often fail if they compromise the core convenience or purpose of either device.
- The new smart home standard, Matter, will eventually allow consumers to buy smart devices based on their features without worrying about which ecosystem (Apple, Google, Amazon) they are tied to.
- By using local mesh networks like Thread, future smart home devices will execute commands faster and more reliably, as they won't need to send requests to a cloud server and back.
- When evaluating tech controversies, it's crucial to investigate all contributing factors and avoid jumping to conclusions based on popular but potentially unrelated events, like broad patent lawsuits.
