AirPods Max Begin Shipping to Customers Ahead of December 15 Launch

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Definitely feels like there was some sort of two-step embargo here -

a) You can talk about the headphones, how they feel, packaging, etc

(units ship)

b) ...now you can talk about how they sound


I suspect the performance will be decent or even better. But this delay in reviews of how they sound is really frustrating.

Situation normal for Apple products. They tightly control who they release review products to and what they can say about them.

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

I still have very few things that charge with USB-C. My MacBook and... I think that's actually it. My Apple portable stuff is all Lightning (iPhones, iPad, ATV remote, magic trackpad and keyboard and mouse).

Sadly, the other big connector in my house? Micro USB. THAT is truly a connector from hell and the one we should all be focusing our collective rage onto. I'm not in the habit of replacing things "just because" so I have things like an Anker portable phone battery, and a couple of bluetooth speakers, and a bluetooth adapter for my old Bose QC15s, and my wife's Jabra exercise earbuds, and a portable charger for my camera's battery that all charge via -- you guessed it -- effing micro USB.

But these are all solid, working electronics with plenty of life left in them and I'm not about to blow hundreds of dollars (and dump things into landfill needlessly) to replace all this stuff just because it uses a lame, mono-directional old connector to charge. Lightning is a dream by comparison because you can plug it in any which way.

So yeah, I'm sure eventually I'll be living in that wonderland where everything charges off One Cord To Rule Them All, but we ain't there yet, and the lightning cable is pretty damn far down my list of annoyances charging-wise.

My list of USB-C items is getting big.

MacBook Air
iPad Pro
PS5 Controller
Nintendo Switch
Switch Pro Controller
Pokeball Plus
XM4’s now
Hyperdrive USB-C in/out charger
LG Portable Projector

Kindle Oasis is my last surviving Micro-USB, and they get a pass because it’s the only name in the e-ink game still, but it’s a bit upsetting to be sure.

iPhone 12 Pro is lightning...
Series 6 is proprietary charger puck but I think they at least offer a USB-C puck.
AirPods Pro are lightning but also wireless standard QI.

 

[newyorksole]

I sort of understand the instinct to complain about price, but yes logically it makes no sense. Generally, in a free market, companies should price a product to gain as much profit as they think they can get away with. If it’s selling well, that means they chose the right price. There is no other moral constraint (unless it’s a basic need like medicine). If it doesn’t sell well, that means they didn’t price correctly and they’ll be forced to discontinue the product or bring the price down on their own. So verbal complaints are really irrational. I only understand it on the level of venting frustration.
Either way I pretty much always ignore comments on price, as you can’t really engage in a meaningful discussion or debate because value is subjective. It’s like talking about favorite colors.

Yup I agree 100%. There is definitely a market for $500 headphones and I think as time goes on folks will get on board with them.

 

[TheDailyApple]

The Sony XM4s aren’t exactly a high bar to clear in terms of sound quality. Those are some seriously muddy-sounding headphones. Anyone who knows audio knows this. Apple has historically been making relatively accurate sounding headphones. I’d take the most recent Beats Solo Pro or even the AirPods Pro over the XM4s in terms of frequency response. The AirPods Max, sound-wise, will undoubtedly surpass the Sonys. I’m pretty confident as well that they will be the new gold standard in terms of ANC.

Don’t judge a pair of headphones before playing with the EQ. Anyone who knows audio knows that factory settings rarely allow audio equipment to live up their full potential.

 

[Syk]

I purchased the XM4's when they were first released, and I had to return them due to the audio lag while watching videos.

Thanks...guess I'm taking those all the Christmas list...Glad I asked before I bought a pair...

 

[Techwatcher]

If you were smart you'd realize that each return means a pair of refurb'd ones will be available down the road.

I also have an order in and, given the price and the fact that in store try-ons are nigh on impossible right now, will be using it as a trial period. Odds are, I'll convince myself to love them and regard the money as "spent" -- but if something really sticks in my craw, I hate to break this to you, but I'll send them back.

Good luck trying to convince yourself you’re smart. It just sounds like you want to join in on the preorder fun knowing you won’t keep it. Stop wasting everyone’s time.

 

[Karma*Police]

People in the Pro Audio Field aren’t getting these. To be frank with you, nearly no one goes car shopping for an Accord and than thinks “what’s another twenty thousand dollars!” Another 20k is another Accord. While I understand that Apple can typically charger a premium due to an earned reputation, that does not make them immune from making poor pricing decisions. Plus, this only works if Apple is going after the “pro” market. They’re not, this is aimed at Bose/Sony and a few others. That’s where my confusion is in regards to Apples strategy.

I think their strategy is pretty clear... go after Apple users who want better sounding headphones than AirPods Pro. Some will opt for Sony or Bose, but most will opt for the Pro or Max because of the superior ease of use, tight integration, tech (spatial audio anyone?), and design. Also, Apple offers Beats for the same price as the Bose and Sony so it doesn’t make sense to sell the Apple branded headphones for only $50 more than the plastic, generic looking competition.

This is how you stair step up the pricing model (Airpods > Pro > Max) to go after different segments of the market whereas with the iPods, they started high and stair stepped down with lower priced models.

 

[Abazigal]

Woke up to find that there were still a few silver models available at my apple store, then they quickly got sold out under an hour.

I think it's safe to say that like the AirPods, supply is not going to be able to meet demand anytime soon. So it's not going to be easy to gauge the demand for this product till maybe the end of the year at least.

 

[amartinez1660]

1) It has no USB-C... I’m done with Lightning and refuse to buy any more products with it besides iPhones (and even on iPhone I’m sick of it, but thankfully iPhones can be wirelessly charged, AirPods Max can’t).

I think you have a solid set of points, won’t really comment on that and will wait for the reviews and decide after (yeah, I’m somehow still wanting them!).

Just wanted to ask, the lightning connector issue, why they receive so much hate?
I find them so convenient, I charge the Magic Trackpad, M Keyboard, iPhone, AirPods Pro case, even the Apple TV controller... the connector fits-in tight and sealed, there’s no real wiggle and there’s no false-positive regarding whether it was successfully connected or not. The trackpad, keyboard, remote also last months before requiring a nightly charge, so the cables are free most of the time.

My only USBC gadget is an iPad Pro 11” and it’s the most troublesome for a device of that type, it’s a lot more thicker and bigger, harder to plug and it does false positives... I can connect bunch of phones and previous iPads (iOS dev related), my phone, the AirPods Pro case, the iPad Pro for a nightly charge and all of them will charge 100% of the time except the iPad. It’s rare enough, but it has surprised me in the morning with a battery state being the same as the previous night even though the connector “clicked in”, just not enough in.

I understand the benefits of usbc/thunderbolt, I use it them on the iMac for displays, docks and external ultra fast SSDs, but I’m not too sure it is the optimal choice for razor thin portable devices that are connected/disconnected often.