I never post anything this long on Twitter, and I don’t foresee myself doing it again any time soon, but yeah it’s happening.
Also, this is not an ad. It's an explanation: For the foreseeable future, it's very likely that you're going to be seeing me wearing Airpods in social environments with a lot of background noise.
Two years ago, an illness destroyed half the hearing in my left ear. I'm fine. My health is otherwise excellent, and relative to exactly two years ago when I was waiting for test results to tell me whether I had a brain tumor (I didn't), I am in every way frankly phenomenal.
But yeah, I lost half the hearing in my left ear. Over the last two years, many of you have patiently tolerated my asking you to repeat yourself, noticed me straining to follow conversation over dinner tables, or cupping my right ear in the hopes of catching whatever stray sound waves might help me keep up socially.
It has been frustrating, but more than that, it's been a reminder just how bad disability policy is in this country. I considered getting hearing aids, but even the cheapest good ones cost thousands of dollars, and health insurance does not cover their cost, even when you have a documented need. (Seriously read that again, you can lose your hearing, and your insurance company's response will likely be "tough luck. You're on your own.")
I have it easy in most ways. Most have it far worse.
Which brings me to the AirPods. My parents saw the @Apple ad. They got them for me for Christmas. (Again, I am laughably lucky in this life.) They arrived on Friday.
They're already a game changer for me. I hope they can be too for others who have mild or moderate hearing loss. They're admittedly not cheap but they're dramatically cheaper than good hearing aids. And that alone is a potential game changer.
So yeah, if you see me wearing Airpods. It's not because I'm being rude. It's because I want to hear someone talking, possibly you. And I'm overjoyed that that's a possibility again.
That said, @Apple, let's talk about skin toned color product, because listen.
(Also, this admittedly not great photo really brought it home just how gray I'm going.)