Beats X review: The perfect earbuds for young cyborgs with cash to burn

There's something remarkable about the new Beats X earphones. It's not so much their sound quality — which is pretty good — nor is it the rubbery build, their wirelessness or the ease with which they rest in your ears.

No, it's the combination of all these things with two very specific, additional ingredients: a W1 chip and an iPhone. Well, make that three: the chip, the phone and an obsessive enough brain to care about how it all intermingles.

I'm not a gadget dork — I'd really rather not talk about processor speed or anything that ends in an acronym — but I care immensely about how my devices mesh with and shape my life. Some people just use their phones: I worry about whether badge notifications on my home screen tick up my anxiety, I marvel still at its ability to control Spotify on my PlayStation, and I am convinced those of us humans who are addicted to internet-connected devices may one day be considered the first, primitive cyborgs. Read more...