I was shocked the first time I tried a Bose headset in a Best Buy. Total silence. It’s like magic.
But I really was worried about walking and traffic, especially for my wife. Bad enough with basic in-ear bluetooth headset she currently has. Thank you for this update/info!
I have the QC35’s as well, and they are my “indoor” go-to noise cancellation devices. I found walking around in a city with active noise cancellation incredibly unsafe feeling.
One of my work mates said that her Bose noise cancelling headphones are great at hum noises like traffic, trains, HVAC, constant murmur, but lack at things like conversations happening in close (less than 10 meter) proximity to her. That is, she can still hear uneven sounds in higher registers. Considering the main point for someone like me is to obliterate the “open office” noise, I wonder if they’d still be worth it. I have been on the fence on noise cancelling headphones for years. I love the Airpods because they’re just so small they don’t interfere with anything. If I were going to buy anything, these would be they. I’m just worried they won’t do what I need. 
There’s nothing wrong with waiting a while. I purchased the original AirPods within the first 15 minutes of availability. They’re pretty much dead now and the Pros look interesting, but I’ll let others use them for a month or two before I make my decision.
It all depends on the specific headphones type. If you want “complete” isolation, get normal ANC headphones (not the cheap ones, though). Earbuds will always let sound through. But when you listen to music and have ANC, even earbuds can do the job. I personally use ANC earbuds only on public transport and for sport. When I sit down and need to concentrate, I use normal ANC headphones.
I would just wait for tests of the new Airpods. For that price, they better sound damn good.
yeah, wow, I don’t need hi fi and never was a big fan even in my ‘music’ days. I spent years with blues and old R&B some taken from 78s. Whatever, I have a lovely pair of Bose noise cancellers. I use them in the house but I really don’t like the isolation it provides, I know you can hear an emergency noise but I don’t feel like I can if you see what I mean. I would never walk round the city with them. I love my airpods and they are good enough for me. When the battery fails I think I will straight replace them. Best sound system I ever had. Made several speakers etc. obsolete for me. Which worries me at time this endless turn over. With diminishing returns in my view…
One thought: when I get the new AirPods Pro I’d love to use them at work and not bring my big Sony headphones to the office… but having them on in Noise Cancelling mode for 5-6 hours a day, and also using them at home before and after work might kill the batteries way faster.
Of course, I can always leave the Sony headphones in the office and only use those there, but something to think about.
Normal over-ear headphones are not really made for walking. They are too big, you can’t hear what’s around you and they make you look stupid 
When in motion, I use earbuds (also great for calls).
But when I work, I love the sound cancelation because it enables me to concentrate, and I enjoy listening to music. When I need to rest my mind, I can play some ASMR. And for that I have my trusted Bose QC 35 (great deal now since they replaced them with a new model). I thought about some great non-cancelation headphones, but I don’t think my hearing is good enough to appreciate the difference
Do you think you can wear earbuds for 6 hours straight? Aside from the battery, it can get quite uncomfortable.
I’ve worn the AirPods for many hours a day, though not 6 hours continuously. I rarely actually wear any headphones longer than 2-3 hours without taking a break due to a meeting or lunch. A good amount of my coworkers have their AirPods on all day when they aren’t in meetings. So… I think it’s possible.
I was mostly thinking out loud with that comment - the only concern I have with these more expensive AirPods Pro is the battery. I’m seeing very positive comments about them and the sound though.
I can have ANC earbuds for like 2 hours before they feel uncomfortable. They have a lot more snug fit than old Airpods.
Did you get Apple Care with them too? I am still wondering whether it is worth the cost.
I walked into a Best Buy store with the full intent of giving them money for a pair of Bose QC35s a year or so back. They had a demo unit, so I tried them on. They blocked some of the ambient room noise, but in a not-horribly-busy Best Buy store I could still hear quite a bit of stuff - little beeps, buzzes, occasional bits of conversation, etc. - and most of it wasn’t happening anywhere close to me.
The salesperson told me that noise cancellation doesn’t work on any sounds that aren’t pretty much 100% constant.
Given that one of the main use cases for these things would’ve been for me to block out noise from other people in my apartment complex (which isn’t 100% constant), I left without the headphones.
I’m not sure if the salesperson was wrong, if the demo unit was improperly configured, or what - but that’s my experience with noise cancellation on the Bose at least.
Have them in for like 8+ hours everyday now. Zero problems so far.
Delivery on these is already out to November 19th or later and out to November 26th at our closest Apple store. I guess they’re off to a good start (at least relative to supply). I was thinking of waiting for some detailed reviews. That will be easy now.
I like the design better than my 6-week-old PowerBeats Pro, and I suspect they’ll feel more comfortable in my ears. But I get a solid 8 hours with mine, and the 4-ish hour life of the Airpods would definitely mean popping them back in the case for recharging during the day. (I don’t even carry the [much larger] Beats case with me.)
I got lucky and managed to be near an Apple Store on day one when they opened. I picked up a pair, and there were a lot of people doing the same but supply seemed good. They still show available for pickup today at my local store, but it did seem like sales were strong here.
I tried the AirPods Pro in the Apple store yesterday, and I just couldn’t stand the in-ear design. I also woke up this morning to rather sore ears. Is this something I can acquire a taste for, like beer?
Possibly. When I first started using canalphones (more than a decade ago) they not only seemed uncomfortable but any rubbing of wires against clothes translated into annoying sounds. I felt like I’d been sold a bill of goods, as these were expensive Westone 'phones that got great reviews and were said to be very comfortable. But those sounds receded over time, to the point where I completely stopping noticing it. Fit was an issue, partly dependent on eartips (I found I needed Small size, and bought a pack of 50 on Amazon for next to nothing - though audiophiles forums often recommend Comply eartips),
Some canalphones in general fit some ears better than others; for podcast listening I’d become fond of cheap $12 Panasonic wired canalphones because their of their comfortable fit and the acceptable quality of speaking voices.
I’m one of those people who liked AirPods and found the fit to be fine. But I never bought a pair because having used canalphones for so long I couldn’t stand having to raise the volume so high on typically noisy streets or the subway just to hear properly.
I wonder about the cancellation settings. Reasonably sure Bose has more than one.