Carolina Milanesi:

Another common argument shared by some Apple critics is that the inability to deliver a killer product rests solely with Tim Cook. When we consider the two new lines of products Apple brought to market under Cook — Apple Watch and AirPods — I struggle to see how people could honestly believe Cook is failing.

And:

I have been wearing an Apple Watch every day since it first came out. Yet, whenever people ask me if I love it, I hesitate to say I do because it is hard to explain why. Apple Watch gives back what you put in. You need to invest some time in setting up your preferences when it comes to notifications, pick your apps, buy into fitness, and add your credit cards. Most importantly, you need to trust Apple Watch to pick up some of the responsibility you have given to your iPhone for so long. When you do so, Apple Watch becomes a trusted companion you will not easily go without.

And:

This is the slogan of Apple’s AirPod commercial and, if you ask anyone who has tried them, they will agree. The feeling of magic is not because the user is aware of Apple’s unique approach of having two separate streams of music play simultaneously into each AirPod. The magic is delivered as soon as you pair your AirPods by simply taking away any pain previously inflicted by Bluetooth-enabled headphones requiring you to pay attention to flashing colored lights while pressing odd buttons.

All solid takes. Apple products are at their bests when they focus on fit, finish, and fine details. For example, compare the AirPods pairing times with any other BlueTooth earphones. Apple clearly put a lot of work into the design of the W1 chip and pairing time, whittling it down to practically instantaneous.

Compare the AirPods pairing time to the BeatsX pairing time. BeatsX also uses the W1 chip, but is noticeably slower to pair. Not that BeatsX are slow, it’s that the AirPods are fast. Magically fast. And that’s the point.