AirPods Max Announced Three Years Ago Today

[MacRumors]

Apple's AirPods Max were announced three years ago today, marking the company's first push into the high-end over-ear headphones market under its own brand name.

Rumors about Apple's work on a pair of high-end headphones, at the time believed to be called the "AirPods Studio," heated up throughout 2020. They were announced abruptly via a somewhat unexpected press release on December 8, 2020 and went on sale the same day. Orders started arriving to customers one week later on Tuesday, December 15.

The AirPods Max offer many popular AirPods features such as the H1 chip, easy pairing, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, automatic switching, Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, but in a premium over-ear design for the first time. They also offer a headband made of a flexible mesh canopy, replaceable magnetic earcups, a Digital Crown for volume control, a button for switching between ANC and Transparency, and a Smart Case for storage and to put the headphones into a low power state.

Demand for the AirPods Max was high immediately after launch, with shipping estimates that stretched out several months. Initial reviews of AirPods Max were favorable, applauding the headphones for being "more than enough to compete with other high-end headphones." While the recommended retail price remains at $549, the AirPods Max are often available with discounts of over $100.

The AirPods Max have also been subject to criticism since their launch, including for their price relative to rival sets of high-end over-ear headphones, the design of the Smart Case, condensation inside the earcups, poor battery life (something that was later fixed via a software update), and ANC strength being reduced over time.

While the ‌AirPods Max‌ are now three years old, the next-generation may only introduce a small number of upgrades consisting of a USB-C port, Bluetooth 5.3, and new color options.

Article Link: AirPods Max Announced Three Years Ago Today

 

[JustAnExpat]

I am surprised Apple still has this product for sale. The Beats Studio Pro is so much better.

 

[HMFIC03]

I recently started using mine much more after getting a 3d printed stand on Etsy that allows me to dock in sleep mode and use a wireless charger (magnetic lightening). Makes the usb c irrelevant

 

[javanate]

Needs to support lossless, have usbc, new case, and function with cord and no battery.

 

[sunapple]

I am surprised Apple still has this product for sale. The Beats Studio Pro is so much better.

Not having tried the Beats I can safely say this comment is false.

 

[zakarhino]

The condensation issue has to be addressed. I'm scared of using mine because I think I'm going to damage them after 2 hours of use and Apple are quoting a huge amount to get them repaired.

 

[urahara]

I had AirPod Max - broken within 20 months.

After that I chose Sony MX-1000-M5 thanks to their much superior voice isolation and background voice reduction. My counterpart on the call can hear me so much clearer and more natural than on Apple.
I am actually surprised how much better Sony MX-1000-M5 is than AirPod Max in this regard.
Looks like Apple dropped a ball here.

I had 2 Beats in-ear pairs - both broken within 12-18 months.
And I still consider AirPods Pro as in ears. Am I crazy for still wanting headphones from Apple?

 

[System603]

Needs to support lossless, have usbc, new case, and function with cord and no battery.

As you've said:

• lossless - ability to wirelessly transmit lossless
• case - real protective case
• true cord-option - ideally just a jack-jack, like Sony's XM series

What I think is pretty much given or should be:

• USB-C - even AirPods have it now. Hopefully they won't cheap out like with Mac accessories
• No heavy condensation issue - ...
• Better ANC - keep up with the industry. E.g. XM5's ANC is phenomenal. You think it's great already, can't be improved, but then you try them and... wow. Come on Apple, let's dethrone Sony in this field 💪

But I'll add:

• Lighter - much, much lighter. Hot take: I don't care about "premium" material. It's not 1940s. What's so special about aluminium? I care about function, feel, longevity and look. If Apple can do that with plastics, composite material or whatever, I don't care, but make it much lighter.
• MagSafe/Qi2 compatible - not a need, but would be nice
• UWB - again, not needed but AirPods case has it and it's useful. Then again, Max are bulky and you won't misplace them as easily

What I think is underused on current version and could be made more attractive/better:

• swappable ear cushions and head bridge - you can "Apple Watch band" this situation and make good $$$ along the way

 

[Sorinut]

Do these sell very well? I've only ever seen one pair being worn in public, and I'm out and about a lot and fly often.

I see a lot of the over-the-ear Beats line, and Bose of course.

 

[MRrainer]

I assume it's a very low volume and thus low priority product for Apple to update.

If they don't update it next year, it can surely be considered dead.

 

[orbital~debris]

Ah, thanks MR… maths problems 🧐

"If AirPods Max are Ↄ years old, what is the value of ?"

 

[steve09090]

I am surprised Apple still has this product for sale. The Beats Studio Pro is so much better.

Without a H1/H2 chip, they are designed for non Apple users imo

 

[kerr]

Three years is way too long between releases.

 

[Sorinut]

Without a H1/H2 chip, they are designed for non Apple users imo

They get personalized spatial-audio, head tracking and hands-free siri on Apple devices only.

 

[MrENGLISH]

Do these sell very well? I've only ever seen one pair being worn in public, and I'm out and about a lot and fly often.

I see a lot of the over-the-ear Beats line, and Bose of course.

Count me as one of the few that own AirPods Max and has never worn them out publicly.

 

[steve09090]

They get personalized spatial-audio, head tracking and hands-free siri on Apple devices only.

For me it’s more about connectivity. My Powerbeats Pro with the H1 chip connects flawlessly to each of my 3 devices, plus Apple TV's. Having to unpair devices to pair them with another device, like my XM4’s is so much more annoying. I’ve not used Spatial Audio, so I can’t comment on that, but on connectivity alone, I wouldn’t get the Beats Studio Pro. No idea why they took it out. I’ll wait for the next AirPods Max, unless they fix the Beats lineup.

 

[Pasqualem]

Do these sell very well? I've only ever seen one pair being worn in public, and I'm out and about a lot and fly often.

I see a lot of the over-the-ear Beats line, and Bose of course.

when I go into nyc/bk I see them all over but besides that never. love mine but rarely take them out of the house.

 

[smaffei]

I am surprised Apple still has this product for sale. The Beats Studio Pro is so much better.

I own both. Max sound so much better than Beats Studio Pro.

 

[unfunfionn]

Do these sell very well? I've only ever seen one pair being worn in public, and I'm out and about a lot and fly often.

Over the past 18 months, I've started seeing a lot of them over here in Germany. But you can get them at much lower prices than RRP these days, and some people have managed to make them tax deductible as remote working or freelancer costs.

 

[Wizard_of_Woz]

Do these sell very well? I've only ever seen one pair being worn in public, and I'm out and about a lot and fly often.

I see a lot of the over-the-ear Beats line, and Bose of course.

I saw three people wearing AirPod Max at the gym this morning alone. They look ridiculous (in a gym setting), by the way. You must live in the boonies and travel to rural areas with few people. I'm not saying that as a put down. I just don't know how else you could've only seen one pair being worn in public in three years.

 

[Wizard_of_Woz]

I own both. Max sound so much better than Beats Studio Pro.

If Max sounds so much better, then why do you own both. That doesn't make sense.

 

[Sorinut]

I saw three people wearing AirPod Max at the gym this morning alone. They look ridiculous, by the way. You must live in the boonies and travel to rural areas with few people. I'm not saying that as a put down. I just don't know how else you could've only seen one pair being worn in public in three years.

I don't live or work in the Boonies, and most of my travel is to large cities. Last trip was two weeks in late October to Seattle and then LA. Never saw a pair.

I usually see Bose Quietcomfort.

 

[Wizard_of_Woz]

I don't live or work in the Boonies, and most of my travel is to large cities.

Last trip was two weeks in late October to Seattle and then LA. Never saw a pair.

I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I'm thinking you must not be paying close enough attention. The city I live in is smaller than just the two you've mentioned, and far less "techie" and "cosmopolitan" than either of those cities as well. It doesn't make sense that I would see people wearing them almost daily (not many people but one here, one there) and you would see only one pair in public in three years. Anyway, it matters not I suppose.

 

[jmovie]

Do these sell very well? I've only ever seen one pair being worn in public, and I'm out and about a lot and fly often.

I see a lot of the over-the-ear Beats line, and Bose of course.

I see them all over the place here in Los Angeles. People literally just walking down the street wearing them everywhere.

 

[jmovie]

I love my AirPods Max. While all of these criticisms are fine, I think most of them don’t really apply. They feel great, they sound great, most of you could never tell the difference between lossless and otherwise, it’s an excellent product, one of my favorites, every single time I put them on.