The MacRumors Show: A Week With the AirPods Pro 2 and Apple Watch Ultra

The Apple Watch Ultra has proved, for me, to be my favorite design of them all. From first generation to now. I have medium-size wrists and it is not too big at all. I preferred the Alpine Green band, but Best Buy had Ocean Midnight for next-day delivery, so opted for it. Turns out I like the band better.

The Ultra will be different for every user. My daughter thinks it is huge, I see it as just-right. Battery life is sick, the display is sick, the whole watch is sick. I am pleased. Quite frankly, best Apple Watch I have worn.

Note: I am seeing open-box Ultras showing up on Best Buy site for $60+ off. I checked every day and found an open box and the new one, which I purchased. Quite a few knock-off bands on Amazon for under $20, many which match Apple’s design and color options, giving the same look as Apple’s bands, without waiting for the right one to be in stock, or delivered.

To add further to the adaptive transparency discussion .. As I've aged I've found it harder to hear conversation in noisy restaurants. After reading up on AirPods Pro transparency I learned that, with my AirPods Pro 2 connected, If I go to 'Accessibility' > Audio/Visual > Headphone Accommodations > Transparency Mode > 'Custom Transparency Mode On', I then get slider control of transparency mode 'Amplification'; 'Transparency Balance'; 'Tone' slider from darker to brighter; 'Ambient Noise Reduction' slider; and then a toggle for 'Conversation Boost'.

Last night at a noisy restaurant, I made sure 'Conversation Boost' was on and that "Ambient Noise Reduction was fully up. It works. As long as I was facing my brother when he was talking he came in loud and clear while at the same time it didn't sound so noisy in there. And, as an aside, according to my brother, I wasn't talking so loud this time.

I've used Apple's 'Live Listen' but the problem with it and over the counter hearing aids is ALL sounds get amplified. With the AirPods Pro we get selective amplification - like with those very expensive hearing aids.

Lastly .. I've typed this up because because I found that searching for this information on my own, even knowing specifically what I was looking for, took a LOT of effort.

Another thing you can do to help adjust the sound is to download the Mimi app https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mimi-hearing-test/id932496645 which creates an audiogram and puts it in the health app and is used in the setting listed above. It is like an an equalizer to adjust the frequencies to help compensate.

I bought a set to of AirPods Pro just to use the left side as hearing aid, and it works great in many sound environments. My Audiologist wanted me to spend 3 grand on a new aid. I was able to use the audiogram she created and my iPhone read it and programed the AirPods accordingly. I also tried the Mimi app and created a form of audiogram which programed both sides.

To add further to the adaptive transparency discussion .. As I've aged I've found it harder to hear conversation in noisy restaurants. After reading up on AirPods Pro transparency I learned that, with my AirPods Pro 2 connected, If I go to 'Accessibility' > Audio/Visual > Headphone Accommodations > Transparency Mode > 'Custom Transparency Mode On', I then get slider control of transparency mode 'Amplification'; 'Transparency Balance'; 'Tone' slider from darker to brighter; 'Ambient Noise Reduction' slider; and then a toggle for 'Conversation Boost'.

Last night at a noisy restaurant, I made sure 'Conversation Boost' was on and that "Ambient Noise Reduction was fully up. It works. As long as I was facing my brother when he was talking he came in loud and clear while at the same time it didn't sound so noisy in there. And, as an aside, according to my brother, I wasn't talking so loud this time.

I've used Apple's 'Live Listen' but the problem with it and over the counter hearing aids is ALL sounds get amplified. With the AirPods Pro we get selective amplification - like with those very expensive hearing aids.

Lastly .. I've typed this up because because I found that searching for this information on my own, even knowing specifically what I was looking for, took a LOT of effort.

Trying my best not to order the Apple Watch Ultra... ?

Trying my best not to order the Apple Watch Ultra... ?

I have had mine for a week now and love it.

I feel like Apple have finally made a watch. I will try and explain what I mean by that as I am not knocking the normal Apple Watch design.

Apple did a great job, like they always do design wise in making all of the Apple Watches from S1 to the S8. However, for me it wasn’t big enough compared to the watches I liked to wear and I wasn’t a huge fan of the rectangular profile when I tried it on, despite me not minding it when I saw others wearing it. I think for me, I like to see a bit of a body on the watch when looking at it and not just a face/screen and a bezel. I did end up getting the S7 45mm Titanium Edition but I still hoped that Apple would come out with a slightly bigger watch with a slightly different shape.

Essentially, I felt that until the Ultra, Apple did a great job of making a small screen that was functional and made that into a watch.

With the Ultra, I feel like they have slipped the Apple Watch into a proper Watch chassis. I now have a metal edge around the screen. I have a watch body that can be seen and the crown guard gives it a bit of extra shape. These little things, combined with a flat screen and a slight increase in size to me have given me a watch that I love the look of and make me feel like I am wearing a watch rather than just a screen on my wrist.

Everyone will have their own opinion on what sort of Watch they like/don’t like. However if you already really like the look of it in the photos/videos, in my opinion, it looks even better in real life.

As far as the Apple Watch Stainless Steel compare to Apple Watch Ultra. I think each their own. I think the Ultra looks better as it's more like a Panerai and bolder. I was for one that was in the market for an Apple Watch Stainless Steel because I really wanted the sapphire glass and went with the Ultra instead. It's just a much better deal with the brighter screen, titanium body and all the features and in my opinion looks better with the bolder crown, crown guard and flat design. I had the original AirPods Pro since it was released, but the battery has really degraded. I upgraded to the AirPods Pro 2nd generation and didn't expect much, but it's a pretty good upgrade.