I worry about the safety element of this. I'm not sure that having people walking around completely oblivious to their environments is a good thing.

In a multiple of ways: you become disconnected from nature and closed off to environments, and you also reduce safety because you don't know what is going on around you (high % of population live in cities).

Not a uniquely Apple problem though, I suppose.

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matsemann 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

People drive cars every day, isolated in a box with windows rolled up, playing music or radio, not being able to hear what's going on around them. So I don't buy the safety argument of noise canceling headphones being dangerous.

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stouset 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

If we’re going there, cars are a leading cause of death and the leading cause of death for children and young adults.

That said, the masses have had noise cancelling earbuds for years at this point and while there definitely are cases of people getting hurt or killed from being unaware of their surroundings, it’s not really been that big a deal.

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juiceland 3 hours ago | parent [-]

>cars are a leading cause of death and the leading cause of death for children and young adults.

Firearms have been the leading cause of death for people ages 1-19 since 2020.

[0]https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2201761

	▲	simmschi 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		In the USA.
	▲	stouset 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		How utterly depressing.

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pipnonsense 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Well, that’s exactly why I worry when walking around with noise canceling phones. Because all those people driving cars oblivious to their surroundings

	▲	matsemann 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Yeah, I get your point, I jusr don't think the solution is to police pedestrians. I'll stop wearing noise canceling headphones in the city the day cars stop being loud, and when the drivers of those cars drive with no music and their windows rolled down ;)

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juiceland 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

>In a multiple of ways: you become disconnected from nature and closed off to environments

I live in a city. Nature for me means the squealing breaks of cars and trucks + people trying to get my attention so I'll take their religious flyer. No thanks.

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theshrike79 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Listening to music while out and about doesn't equate to "completely oblivious".

I've seen people with no earbuds be completely oblivious and almost walk into traffic...

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franzb 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

AirPods and other ANC earphones have been around for ages, nothing new.