This week: should you buy Airpods?  The reviews are in, and we’re excited.  Plus: the iPhone 7 carrier deals you need to know about; iPhone 7 smashes pre-order expectations; Series 1 vs. Series 2 Apple Watch; and, Apple, the new NASA?   This episode supported by   Build a beautiful, responsive website quick at Squarespace.com.  Enter offer codeCultCastat checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.   Audible, the home of over 150,000 audio books from practically every genre in existence.  Grab Leander's book, Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products, for FREE with a 30-day Audible trial.  The book is yours to keep even if you decide not to keep your Audible subscription.  Get started at audible.com/cultcast.   We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.   On the show this week @erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney   Intro - Whole Earth Access has the Macintosh you’ve been looking for! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHGDpYXtqow   T-Mobile CEO: iPhone 7 is shaping up to be a smash hit http://www.cultofmac.com/445389/t-mobile-ceo-iphone-7-shaping-smash-hit/ According to charismatic T-Mobile CEO John Legere, reports about a supposed lack of interest in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are way overblown. “So I don’t know what everyone is doing, but it’s like four times bigger than the iPhone 6 for us at this order stage,” he said, calling orders thus far a “phenomenon.”    Apple won’t have any iPhone 7 Plus models for sale in stores on Friday   http://www.recode.net/2016/9/15/12925820/apple-iphone-7-sold-out It’s completely sold out, as is the smaller iPhone in Jet Black   Our pre-order experiences (discussion)   AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon iPhone 7 deals are bonkers (discussion)   Thoughts on watchOS 3 and the Apple Watch Series 1 vs. Series 2  (discussion)   AirPods review roundup: A nice idea with room for improvement http://www.cultofmac.com/445557/airpods-review-roundup-nice-idea-room-improvement/ We’ll have to wait until October to get our hands on Apple’s new wireless AirPods, but select reviewers have been granted early access to help us decide whether they’re worth their $159 price tag.   Impressions “There’s nothing to break or tangle, nothing to plug in, nothing to get caught on a stranger’s backpack on the train every freaking day. Just sweet aural freedom.”   “sit in my ears, actually better than EarPods, and remained in place even while running” David Pierce at Wired Chris Velazco of Engadget writes that he’s “stunned Apple squeezed as much tech into the AirPods as they did.”     Sound Most reviewers concluded that AirPods sound almost exactly like EarPods. Engadget review. “In general, the AirPods gave mids a little more meat than EarPods did, and drum fills felt crisper and more precise. My test tracks… came across warmer than I would have expected.” Another review wrote “I’m no audiophile, but to me, the AirPods sound nearly identical to Apple’s wired EarPods.”    Siri “Having Siri two taps away isn’t just the best thing about the AirPods. It’s the reason they exist,” writes David Pierce. “It’s easy to imagine Apple making the AirPods the centerpiece of how you interact with all your devices, particularly as Siri becomes more important.” “Consider this the first step towards a future where we no longer have to stare at a screen to get things done,” adds Business Insider. “Siri… can always be there, responding to your queries by buzzing in your ear, almost like in the movie “Her.”   Why Apple is the new NASA http://www.cultofmac.com/444551/why-apple-is-the-new-nasa/