Some devices are/were only vulnerable during the initial pairing but a key point from this talk was that most of these devices were vulnerable during normal use.

The RACE protocol could be accessed even if the device isn’t in pairing mode. Then once you have a target device’s key you can carry out the attack at anytime, when they’d be unlikely to notice.

It's not like wired earbuds/headphones are invincible either. I've had a few wired ones lost due to cable damage, which constitutes more casualties than my wireless inventory, including noticeable charge loss. Of course, there are a lot more cheap wired options with replaceable cables now, thanks to Moondrop and gang.

I really wish the debate was more than jack vs Bluetooth, and more wired fans would consider supporting devices with multiple USB-C ports. Yeah, Sony still puts a jack on Xperias, but most audiophiles note that it's driven by Snapdragon's mediocre integrated DAC, possibly because Sony doesn't want it to compete with Walkmans. Yeah, Valve puts a jack on the Steam Deck, but SD OLED's jack has interference issues that users need to fix with electrical tape or loosening screws. If these devices had two USB ports, then it would be easy to use a better DAC with no interference issues (while also charging with a cable attached to the other port). Having a second USB port would increase device life, and tie wired earbuds/headphones to a more durable standard that's actively developed and backed by legislation. We know this is possible for phones because ASUS ROG Phone has 2 USB ports.

>A) the device is designed to let you do that

This is simply wrong. Apple airpod was not designed to replace battery(they use tons of glue), yet many repair shop still offer service to replace battery for them.

>B) the battery is still in production

The industry is kind of converging into using standard "coil cell" battery for their headphone

The word you are looking for is not “rent” but depreciation.

Sure, but I am totally willing to make that tradeoff, and when my earbuds die, I buy new wireless earbuds, not permanently switch to some wired headphones I have lying around (mostly just in case, to not be left hanging if my earbuds suddenly die). I didn't know that before I started using wireless stuff, but now I do. Because, you know, I can change my T-shirt, maybe even take a shower, and start cooking something in the kitchen without pausing that audiobook, all while my phone is charging in another room.

I am even cautiously aware that people have lost their hearing, because damn LiOH exploded in their ear. That's much scarier than knowing I will have to buy new earbuds in a couple of years. Didn't stop me using them either.

I find that people speaking very loudly into their wireless headsets wherever they are and whomever they are with is a bigger nuisance.

When you speak to someone in person, you'd adjust the volume of your voice to the room and the recipient without thinking about doing it. The engineers who built the analogue phone system were aware of this effect, and made it so that you heard yourself in the handset's speaker. The engineers who designed the cell phone standards decided to ignore this so they could do more echo-cancellation.

It is not a big problem when people are speaking into a slate-shaped cell phone, but when people wear headphones that attenuates their own voice, they hear themselves less and speak extra loudly to compensate.

A couple days ago there was a bit of a conversation about this, you might find it interesting. It seems this feeling (to the point of calling it an "epidemic"!) might be caused by the known bias of thinking that earlier times were better:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46424228

I see more people with headphones now that BT headphones are everywhere...

LOL. People not using headphones in public are narcissistic a-holes, but they’ve been doing it since *long* before headphone jacks went missing from smartphones.