AirPods Max Announced Three Years Ago Today

[Jester_A]

I have owned Airpods Max but for some reason my voice sounded bad in them for calls? I actually had two pairs since first one got replaced just because of the call sound. None have ever complained on my Airpods or Airpods Pro 1/2 ? I really can´t get my head around why Airpods Max doesnt pick up my voice better?

Superior sound quality from all other headphones i tried but useless for me if I cant talk in them.

 

[Gengar]

Y’all think the second gen ones will be titanium?

 

[Allen_Wentz]

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.

Yup. Many of us bought high end noise canceling over-ear pods before Apple made them, and they remain viable until the latest and greatest:
A) get really lightweight.
B) are comfortable.
C) come with a quality chargeable trackable hard case that one can stuff into a small suitcase or large laptop case. Even an add-on extra fee suffices as long as it works.
D) have a decent built-in mic (boom mic would be awesome)
E) have an option to wireless charge magnetically like AirPods Pro do
F) accept 3.5 mm mic cables (dongle to USB-C is acceptable)
G) available in non-white color like black or dark gray.

Neither price nor performance are particularly relevant as long as they perform at least as well as the excellent AirPods Pro 2 do now. Given what Apple already achieves with AirPods, building great over-ear headphones (especially lightweight) that meet A-G above should be trivial.

 

[MRxROBOT]

The one issue I have with the AirPods Max are the weight. They're just too heavy.

I do like the design, sound quality and how great the connectivity is across the Apple ecosystem.

When it's time to replace I will likely go with a lighter pair of Sonys, unless the next gen addresses the weight issue.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I have owned Airpods Max but for some reason my voice sounded bad in them for calls? I actually had two pairs since first one got replaced just because of the call sound. None have ever complained on my Airpods or Airpods Pro 1/2 ? I really can´t get my head around why Airpods Max doesnt pick up my voice better?

Superior sound quality from all other headphones i tried but useless for me if I cant talk in them.

Agreed! Personally I would love to see them with a quality boom mic option. That, I would line up to buy.

 

[Dble07]

Since it coming to the AirPods Pro 2 with the Vision Pro I have my fingers crossed.

From Vision Pro to the maxes maybe, from a handheld device to the maxes probably not.

 

[Maigrais]

They are a great expensive set. The sound quality is very rich. I dumped my regular AirPods earbuds years ago. I'm all about premium sound quality and ANC wherever I go.

 

[haddy]

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

Nah...my Apple max are really very good and convenient. If you want a nicer sound then the oppo PM 1 is the way to go; but it is wired and not noise cancelling and more expensive.

​

 

[wigby]

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

This story just tells me that I have better impulse control than I thought I had. When they were announced, I felt they were definitely overpriced, not in pricey Apple way but overpriced for what you get even if you take all the Apple niceties into account. And I have been in the market for high quality, wireless over the ear headphones all this time. Even when they dropped the price via Black Friday sales, it's still way too much. I looked at the Beats but I really believe Apple will deliver the best product for their own brand eventually but they will have to 1/2 the price or really offer something unique to the headphone market that they have not yet.

 

[uczcret]

I have owned Airpods Max but for some reason my voice sounded bad in them for calls? I actually had two pairs since first one got replaced just because of the call sound. None have ever complained on my Airpods or Airpods Pro 1/2 ? I really can´t get my head around why Airpods Max doesnt pick up my voice better?

Superior sound quality from all other headphones i tried but useless for me if I cant talk in them.

Same here. I have both APP2 and Max- I've had constant complaints from people when talking on the phone/WhatsApp/FaceTime/Teams etc. while using the Max, not one when using the APP2.

I love the Max sound quality, their ANC and Transparency are unbelievable but the sound quality on calls along with the condensation issue are the two most imperative updates on a v2 imo.

 

[Jester_A]

Same here. I have both APP2 and Max- I've had constant complaints from people when talking on the phone/WhatsApp/FaceTime, Teams etc. while using the Max, not one when using the APP2.

I love the Max sound quality, their ANC and Transparency are unbelievable but the sound quality on calls along with the condensation issue are the two most imperative updates on a v2 imo.

I remember Bose had same issue with their mic and their conclusion was if you have a dark voice the mic wont pic up your voice as good. However Apple seems to have a working solution in their regular Airpods and Airpods Pro so I just dont get why they couldnt have simular solution in Airpods Max?

 

[michaelflynn]

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.

- Person who absolutely does not fly often

 

[Sorinut]

- Person who absolutely does not fly often

I've flown over a dozen times since June. As I said earlier, maybe I'm not paying attention, but I usually see Bose Quietcomfort on flights.

 

[tele-fragd]

Once the battery dies or degrades to the point where it no longer holds a usable charge, or when Apple marks them as obsolete, they’ll be useless because there’s no wired mode.

That’s the #1 problem I have with them. Good headphones should last 10+ years at least. Great headphones can last 20 years or more, with a few earpad replacements along the way.

 

[vinsalducci]

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

My AirPods Max are the best sounding headphones I own. I also have the Beats Studio pro-they don’t sound quite as good, they’re not quite as well made. But theyre much much better to travel with.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Do these sell very well?

I saw a ton of them on flights when traveling this Fall and I see them on lots of Pro and NCAA football players when they are warming up/stretching, etc

 

[svish]

Not expecting much to change with the next version.

 

[Manzanito]

Congrats on the picture!

 

[seek3r]

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.

I was in LA last week, saw tons of them…

 

[darngooddesign]

I live next to and walk my dogs on GA Tech campus, I see lots of them.

 

[samgranieri]

I’ve enjoyed these for three years. I’ve had to reboot mine a few times lately, which is obnoxious. Also, I had to turn off the “don’t switch devices” feature because sometimes my kid will watch stuff on my iPad while I’m working on my computer and the headphones will switch to my iPad.

I don’t mind the lack of lossless and USB-C right now. I presume when my headphones die the next gen will have what we need

 

[AriaAmaris]

Recently bought one and returned it. Too heavy and it kept disconnecting. Once I had to turn off and on my iPad to get it working again.

 

[The Game 161]

and next aren't expected until late 2024 and it will basically just be USB C from sounds

 

[Coluch]

Three years is way too long between releases.

I really dislike this modern-consumerist mentality. Some of the best audio companies have made products for decades with little to no changes, because good audio is always good audio.

 

[sunapple]

This story just tells me that I have better impulse control than I thought I had. When they were announced, I felt they were definitely overpriced, not in pricey Apple way but overpriced for what you get even if you take all the Apple niceties into account. And I have been in the market for high quality, wireless over the ear headphones all this time. Even when they dropped the price via Black Friday sales, it's still way too much. I looked at the Beats but I really believe Apple will deliver the best product for their own brand eventually but they will have to 1/2 the price or really offer something unique to the headphone market that they have not yet.

Half the price is not going to happen. The next version will be as expensive as this one. If you do then buy whatever version at that price, you will realise you could have just bought them at launch and gotten more enjoyment out of them over those years. Expected improvements on sound/ANC quality and charging port are not worth the wait IMO.

I have tried many pairs of headphones before, but these do offer something unique to the market. It's like other pairs of headphone are 90% of the experience but AirPods Max offer the extra 10%. I understand if people don't care for that or don't want to spend the extra cash to get there, but I appreciate it.

I use them more than any other piece of electronics I own, they are basically glued to my head for hours at a time. For that fact alone they are worth the price to me. My only regret is that I only just bought them last May.