People complaining about the $550, and here I am just wishing it was only $550 for us. In Denmark, it's 4.799 DKK (781 USD). No way I'm paying that, and judging by the "short" 3 week delivery, I guess I'm not alone.
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AirPods Max Development Took 4 Years, According to Former Apple Engineer
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Honestly the only thing I am lot liking, of course I’d like them to be cheaper, is that awful looking case. Can you not turn them off any other way then to use that case?
The minuses are more than tha pluses, starting from the overpricing, the weight, the polyester, the features, no touch based controls, the cups doesn't fold, no real protective case.. no wire option, no usb-c .. just to name a few.
i hate these on headphones... this would be a pro for me.
If priced around $199 to $249-ish these would have looked great with my *old* iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2
They look dated to me (and not in a retro cool way).
Still can't get over the price. Along the same price as a Mac Mini (with Edu discount)
They look dated to me (and not in a retro cool way).
Still can't get over the price. Along the same price as a Mac Mini (with Edu discount)
I also have the Sony XM2 and it's been a great headphone for me as well but unfortunately the materials doesn't feel strong and durable. Mine are intact (have it for the past three years) but I take a great care of it. Don't know if it's worth the update to Apple's since the price is way too high.
I’m sure that these will sound great and people will be very happy with them but for me, this is like the iPhone leather sleeve and the MagSafe Duo charger, not for me. Spending $549 on a first generation pair of headphones is just not in my budget either. I’m willing to bet that a sport or a mini version will come out with a lower price point. I’m also thinking that these headphones may signal the beginning of the end for the Beats brand.
To call these 'high end' is a gross overstatement. These are not anywhere near the most expensive headphones available; you can easily pay 3K or more. I doubt they will compare sound wise to those. But if they are meant to compete with Sony and Bose I hope the build quality, sound, and noise cancelling is a step up.
Depends on how you look at it. Could be the same final price but only $55 per year. 🤷♂️
If Apple wasn't all about owning the pattens to all the tech inside their devices forcing them to reinvent the wheel for every device they make they could have just used another manufactures parts and had a solution within one year. But then you would be able to tell the markup quite clearly when compared to other manufactures who used the same parts and info about the product would have come out sooner from leaks. Hopefully these improve on every aspect of the experience compared to similarly priced models.
Agreed. If I worked on a product like this for years, I'd likely be saying a lot more than what this tweet mentioned!
No worries. Next year they’ll come free with the 1600$ iPhone 13. /s
There is only one thing that matters. Sound quality. If they don't sound as good as Sony's, Bose...they are a rip-off.
Swappable ear cushions, higher build quality, etc., are worth extra. But, if they don't sound as good...nope.
Right now...it's pointless to debate the price.
Swappable ear cushions, higher build quality, etc., are worth extra. But, if they don't sound as good...nope.
Right now...it's pointless to debate the price.
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At this price they should completely blow away Sony and Bose.
These are some wireless cans with a similar price range to AirPods Max (I’m sure there are others, I just did a quick search). IMO these are what the AirPods Max should be compared to in terms of sound quality. If Apple is going to charge big bucks the sound quality better be there to match it. I do wonder though why Apple put them on sale with no reviews anywhere. If the sound was so incredible wouldn’t they want reviews out there saying so?
beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless Copper ($699, 400g)
DALI IO-6 ($499, 325g)
Sennheiser RS 195 ($449, 340g)
Master & Dynamic MW65 ($499, 245g
Focal Listen Bluetooth Wireless ($490, 300g)
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I wish they'd put a little more effort into weight savings. These things are almost 50% heavier than the $349-399 guys.
This. It really will depend on performance. Apple hasn’t been on the forefront for audiophileS though and so I lean towards over pricing than actual fair pricing. We won’t know until the 15th. Either way I’m in the same position I would never spend over 300$ for a pair of headphones. It’s not even about my ability to so much as I don’t see the headphone space as that I’mmoortant to me. I don’t work in audio. I’m not an audiophile (even if these were to appeal to them) and I’m not an Apple cultist (though pretty close).
@Rogifan thanks for putting that together. The lazy in me would like to know how much each of those weigh. The Apple ones weigh a LOT for headphones.
AirPods Pro are $80 more expensive than similar Samsung and Sony products. These are $280 more than Sony and Bose wireless cans. Those may be the wrong comparison. Or there isn’t really a market for these and they’ll end up like the HomePod did with Apple releasing a cheaper version.
Well even if it took 4 years, they are still too expensive, watch my reaction here
Apple began working on its recently unveiled AirPods Max headphones over four years ago, according to tweets by a former Apple engineer.
Rumors that Apple was developing high-end over-ear headphones began way back in early 2018, when the first mention of own-brand headphones appeared courtesy of Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
However, the timeline of their development apparently extended much further than that, based on now-deleted tweets by former Apple engineer Dinesh Dave (@appleidinesh).
Ryan Jones was able to capture images of the tweets and re-share them after they were removed. In the tweets, Dave linked to Apple's AirPods Max announcement and claimed that "the last product NDA I signed is finally out!"
Responding to another Twitter user who asked when the NDA was signed, Dave replied: "~4 years."
Apple first launched the AirPods line almost exactly four years ago, in December 2016, after which their popularity grew rapidly. As Jones notes in his tweet, Apple likely saw the "insane demand" for AirPods and decided to explore additional potential products in the now-vast "hearables" category.
Prior to their official announcement on Tuesday, subsequent rumors about the headphones focused not only on design and features, but also protracted delays that Apple was said to be experiencing in production. Rumors predicted various launch dates for the headphones that continually missed their mark, from launching in late 2018 to sometime in the second half of 2019.
AirPods Max are now available to pre-order on Apple's website, with a launch date of December 15, although there are already massive wait times for shipping running into March 2021.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that Apple tested at least two versions of the headphones, including a "premium version with leather-like fabrics" – aka AirPods Max – and a "fitness-focused model that uses lighter, breathable materials with small perforations," so we may well see an additional version of the headphones sometime next year.
Article Link: AirPods Max Development Took 4 Years, According to Former Apple Engineer
Comfort is just as important.
Comfort is important, but if they sound bad, it doesn't matter how comfortable they are.
demand was so great, it pushed delivery times into the past!