Entered CNET Catalog: 06/30/2007
SKU: 0885909178865
Manufacturer: Apple Inc.
Manufacturer description
Enjoy wireless convenience and crystal-clear audio when talking on your iPhone. The iPhone Bluetooth Headset features a single button that lets you make and receive phone calls simply and intuitively. And the innovative design is sure to turn a few heads.Product summary
The good: The iPhone Bluetooth headset is a beautifully made device, and we like how easy it was to use. Pairing with the iPhone is extremely easy, and the headset comes with a charging dock plus USB cable.
The bad: The iPhone Bluetooth headset lacks a few basic features such as call mute and redial. It doesn't have a volume rocker, plus it's also on the expensive side.
The bottom line: The iPhone Bluetooth headset is a super stylish headset with a very easy pairing process made just for the iPhone, but we do wish it had a few more features plus a lower price tag.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 11/08/2007
The iPhone is undoubtedly the most talked about gadget of the year, with its innovative touch-screen design and attractive good looks. To match the iPhone's high-end style, Apple has also introduced the Apple iPhone Bluetooth headset to go along with it. And it certainly does match the iPhone, in elegance, simplicity, and style. But like the iPhone itself, it falls short in features. Each iPhone Bluetooth headset goes for $129.99, a rather steep price.
Shaped like a skinny black stick, the iPhone Bluetooth headset measures close to 2 inches long, 0.5 inch wide, and about 0.6 inch thick if you count the earpiece (It's about 0.125 inch thick without the earpiece). The headset is also remarkably light at less than an ounce, and we admit that we quite like its metal construction, glossy finish, and smooth, clean lines. Certainly, it looks more like art than a simple headset.
The controls are dead simple--in fact, there's only one button for everything. It's not obvious at first, but the multifunction button is located on top of the device. The button has a slightly curved feel and gives easily to pressure. On the back of the headset is the earpiece, which is designed to fit inside the ear, much like the old-school iPod earbuds. It fits very nicely in the ear and we found it to be quite comfortable. However, the lack of an ear hook may make some people feel uneasy since it doesn't feel as secure. Also, we really would've liked to have volume controls on the headset itself. If you need to adjust the volume, you'll have to change it with your phone.
Maybe part of the reason why the iPhone Bluetooth headset is so pricey is that it comes with its own iPhone-charging dock plus a USB travel charger. The charging dock has two slots--one for the iPhone, and one for the Bluetooth headset. Similarly, the USB cable is designed with two slots as well. Pairing the headset with the iPhone couldn't be easier--simply pop in both the iPhone and the headset into the dock, and voila, they are paired to each other. This is probably the easiest pairing process we've ever experienced. Another neat advantage to using the charging dock is both the iPhone and the headset's battery status show up on the screen, so you always know how much battery life is left on the headset.
The iPhone Bluetooth headset is simple in design as well as features. You get the regular abilities to answer and end calls, but don't bet on anything like last-number redial or call mute. You can also switch calls back and forth from the headset to the iPhone and vice versa. Also, we should note that you can indeed use the iPhone Bluetooth headset with other phones, but the pairing process won't be as smooth.
Here's another note: though you won't be able to use the iPhone Bluetooth headset for voice dialing with the iPhone (since the iPhone does not support voice commands), you will be able to use it with other phones that do have voice-command support. We paired the iPhone Bluetooth headset with the RIM BlackBerry Pearl and used it to voice dial flawlessly.
Call quality was surprisingly good. We had heard numerous tales of questionable performance, but our experience told us otherwise. Yes, there is no noise-reduction technology, and voices didn't sound very natural, but we could still carry on a conversation without any noticeable static or hiss. We do have to say that the sound quality does not compare with that of the Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth headset, but by normal standards, the iPhone Bluetooth headset sounded just fine. Just don't expect quality sound in an especially noisy or crowded environment since, as we mentioned, the iPhone Bluetooth headset doesn't have any noise-cancellation technology.
The iPhone Bluetooth headset has a rated battery life of 5 hours and 29 minutes of talk time and 3 days of standby time.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26out of 26 user reviews
Great all around
Pros: Tiny and light, very rugged. Mine has survived three washings and two dryings. Pairs easily and has excellent sound quality.
Cons: A little expensive compared to some, but the quality is there to back it up.
out of 26 user reviews
Too much static.
Pros: The headset is light weight and comfortable to wear. Voice quality is excellent.
Cons: The headset is useless while driving. If you increase the volume on your phone it only increases the level of white noise.
out of 26 user reviews
The Jabra ear gels fit perfectly on the Apple headset
Pros: The Apple is first class and with the Jabra eargels it sounds great.
Cons: No noise reduction but in most situation it sounds very good.
out of 26 user reviews
Wow, Form, Fit and Function are dead on.
Pros: The fit is great. Sets close to my head and light weight makes me forget its even there. I have never been happy with anyones HS volume controls and always reverted to the Cell phone for this function. KISS principle works for me.
Cons: Not sure I can find any, like I said, the lack of volume rockers and voice recall are not an issue for me.
out of 26 user reviews
Disappointing
Pros: Looks cool, small, syncs up effortlessly
Cons: Does not work well. Hard to hear, other person can't hear me clearly.
out of 26 user reviews
Where is it?
Pros: Small, hides easily while wearing it. Charges along with my iphone on same charger both on dock and car charger. Shows how much battery is left on my phone while charging or in use.
Cons: Reception isn't the best, it gets a little too much static sound if further than 3 feet away from my phone. Not too many features to work with.
out of 26 user reviews
Crippled version of bluetooth forces headset purchase
Pros: It is stylish, but expensive.
Cons: Bluetooth on the i-phone has none of the extended features that most mobile phones have - you can't synch with your car or laptop, for instance. That means you have to buy the headset, unless you want to never drive hands free (illegal in the UK).
out of 26 user reviews
great if you buy a ear hook
Pros: easy to pair extra charging sync cable light weight
Cons: had to buy a genric wired headset and took off the eay hook it fit the iphone bluetooth headset perfectly and apple needs to use a different battery approach as the 3g batters sucks so does this bluetooths battery life
out of 26 user reviews
Yeah, this is the bomb!
Pros: I have two, one for each ear... having conversation in stereo
word
Cons: need to sell these in pink
out of 26 user reviews
better than you'd think
Pros: easy to use, clear signal
Cons: none that i can think of
out of 26 user reviews
Very comfortable to wear with glasses!!!
Pros: Compact design, comfortable, easy to pair & charge
Cons: Lack of features, lacks noise canceling technology, pricey
out of 26 user reviews
Expensive and not so good quality
Pros: Small and out of the way
Cons: STATIC, STATIC, STATIC
out of 26 user reviews
For being the first Apple product I've owned, I am not very impressed.
Pros: Small, lightweight, easy to charge, one button, aluminum body!
Cons: Quiet, fit wasn't great, no volume adjustment
1) What? No volume control?
2) Add foam ear piece or lose the headset.
3) Is the dock not supposed to charge when connected to a Windows PC? (luckily it comes with the "travel charger" as well, which works nice).
4) Turn on or turn it off, it will decide what to do on its own (turns on when charging from what I can tell).
5) No iPhone: pairing may be a problem, my XV6700 (Audiovox) didn't always play nice and find the Apple headset.
6) The end of call sound is not always distinct, and there is no end of call sound if you are not the person that hangs up the phone. This may result in the "hello, hello, are you still there" situation.
Overall, my experience would be hard to call great, more like marginal. I though I lost the unit a few hours ago when it fell out of my ear and landed somewhere in my car. A french fry is larger, which may cause problems if you car isn't clean.
I hope that there are some iPhone users out there that have a good experience with this unit; it is a shame for such a cool looking product to generate such lackluster reviews.
(For those of you who would like to call Apple and stay in a phone tree loop for 30 minutes, feel free to call: 888-659-5840, oh, and don't expect 24 hour tech support.)
Last but not least, I am happy to report that after ordering the unit on the 2nd of November, and using it on and off since purchase, there was no problem with returning the unit on the 18th of November. Apple sent me a RMA number and paid for return shipping. This is the kind of service I’ve heard you can expect from Apple.
out of 26 user reviews
Nice small device, horrible reception
Pros: Small, easily syncs with iPhone
Cons: Horrible static
out of 26 user reviews
Another Zealot Only Device
Pros: Pairs easily with the iPhone and others
Cons: Missing features
I just don't get it.
No mute ?
No volume control ???
Apple has well marketed and pretty great products and well market and pretty trash. This is another piece of trash.
out of 26 user reviews
Looks good but looks are deceiving
Pros: Minimalistic, unobtrusive
Cons: call quality
out of 26 user reviews
ANOTHER OVERPRICED RIPOFF FROM APPLE
Pros: none whatsoever
Cons: IT'S A RIPoff
out of 26 user reviews
Small, lightweight, Clear, Apple...
Pros: Great Voice Quality, Small size, Pairs easily, simple
Cons: Bluetooth has short range.
out of 26 user reviews
Simple elegance & Ease of Use - The Apple Standard
Pros: Ease of use, clean looks, rapid deployment
Cons: Lacks last number redial - end of call sound annoying
Appearance
The elegant looks of this headset distinguish it from all others. It does not have the ever-so-common flashing blue LED, nor does it look like something from a kids transformer toy. I have always disliked the flashing blue LEDs on so many bluetooth headsets; they make their users like like the have been assimilated by the Borg.
The body of this headset is metal, not plastic, which means it has a solid feel, unlike most plastic headsets. It has a satin finish that is as perfect looking as a new iPod.
Human Interface
The headset charges quickly, and the iPhone display shows a visual indication of the charge level of the headset.
Pairing the headset is effortless: when you charge the headset and iPhone together, they pair automatically. If you power-down your headset to save your battery, the next time you power-up, the iPhone will recognize the headset, and you will not be required to pair.
You verify the power status (on/off) of headset by briefly pressing the button near the earpiece. If the headset is in your ear, you will hear a brief tone; you will observe a green LED flash when the unit is not in your ear. When the battery is low you will hear a distintive tone, and the LED will flash green.
One of the best features of this headset is what I call "rapid deployment". When a call comes in, you really have to scramble to get most headsets properly seated in your ear. With this headset, you'll have none of that. It goes in and comes out of your ear quickly, painlessly, nearly effortlessly.
Performance
The audio quality of this headset is as good it gets. It does not have any background noice suppression, but none of my callers have ever complained about background noise with this unit. The range of the headset is average, and in my day-to-day use, I never heard static/noise from the wireless bluetooth link to the iPhone.
Extras
The headset comes with a base that can be used to charge both the headset and the iPhone, and a travel cable that performs the same function. The bottom of the headset has a row of tiny magnets that ensure a perfect fit in the base every time. This really was a nice surprise.
The headset also comes with two tiny foam covers for the earpiece. I like these, because they let your ear breathe a little more. If the iPod earbuds are comfortable for, you will find this headset comfortable.
Lacking
I don't like the tone that is played when a call ends; it too closely resembles a busy signal and is thus confusing. My cheap Jabra headset allows last number re-dial from the headset button, and I like this feature, although it can be too easy to accidentally redial a number.
The clean looks of this headset mean that you do not have buttons for volume control, although many other headsets do not have this.
I would also have liked to seen background noice suppression, although this does not seem to be a major issue with this headset. It would also be nice if this headset allowed you to listen to music, but this would obviously impact battery life.
Conclusion
I have used low cost Jabra and high end Plantronics headsets. I don't like to use these because they, well, just look weird. I have never felt this way about the Apple bluetooth headset, The extra charging base and cable make this a good value. I am overall quite satisfied with the Apple iPhone bluetooth headset.
out of 26 user reviews
Compact and stylish companion for my iPhone
Pros: Design, fit, pairing
Cons: Some static and dropped connections
It comes with a handy 2-in-1 charger for both the iPhone and headset.
out of 26 user reviews
I have used better
Pros: very small, lightweight design, comfortable in the ear
Cons: poor voice quality and battery life.
out of 26 user reviews
Great Functionality and Fit
Pros: works great, looks great, feels great.
Cons: only one color
out of 26 user reviews
Aesthetically appealing, but functionally lacking
Pros: Easy pairing with iPhone, and sleek look
Cons: Static, no noise reduction, and constant disconnections
out of 26 user reviews
Stylish, compact, seamless integration. Great headset
Pros: 1) Small, 2) Stylish, 3) Excellent integration with iPhone, 4) Easy to charge
Cons: One-size-fits-all may not fit everyone, unable to stream iPod audio
It is very simple to charge, and comes with both a dual dock and special USB cable with charging connecter. The charging dock uses the same magnetic interlock technology as the newer Mac Powerbooks, which is a great touch. It would great if the unit could stream iPod audio though.
All in all, I really love the headset.
out of 26 user reviews
Great Look, Poor Performance
Pros: Small, Sleek, Stylish
Cons: Bad fit, static
I purchased 4 of these for my entire family. You get a lot of static one out of every four phone calls.
Positive note: It does connect very easily to the iPhone itself and charges quickly.
If you have a problem with headphones fitting in your ears then this is another device to add to the list. I guess Apple believes all ears are made the same. It fits great for one of the family members but bad fit for the other three of us. It won't stay in one position and falls out.If you can stand having to worry about it falling out and getting a bad connection every now and then, more power to you.
Overall: Apple hit the head on the nail for appearance but dropped the ball for comfort and performance.
out of 26 user reviews
Fantastic Bluetooth Headset
Pros: It shares the charger with the iPhone, great sound clarity
Cons: It's tiny, I'm taking bets how long it takes for me to lose it
I test headsets on my mother, I can't hear you, you sound like you're in a well, etc. She says she can't tell the difference between the phone and the headset with this one, so it passes the mom test.
Since the headset sits inside the ear I can hear conversations crystal clear as well.
It is light enough to where you forget you even have it on. It stays put too, after putting it in my ear I did the shake test and couldn't knock it out.
Pairing is a snap, and the headset works seamlessly with the iPhone. If the headset is off it only takes around a second after turning it on for it to connect with the phone.
I can't recommend this piece of Apple joy enough.
