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Only new colours. Shifting to USB C cannot be considered as feature addition.
 
here's a question, will these play audio through the usb-c? Because, with the other ones, you couldn't. i tried, I used the official apple lightning to aux cable for an ipod and i got nothing. So maybe if i used a usb-c to aux cable i should be able to use these with an ipod. Also another question will these works via a wire with zero battery power?
 
An incremental update for sure, but why would Apple do more? For one, APMs have not been lucrative for Apple. For another, almost every comparison review out there--think Bose QC Ultra or Sony XM5 vs APM--ends with APMs on top! Aside to the relative discomfort and lack of USB-C, most reviewers prefer the "old" APM to the latest from Sony and Bose.

And, yes, I preordered a set. The mesh has stretched out on my old set, an ear pad replacement is long overdue, and it’s the last tech I have that doesn’t use USB-C.
 
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Honestly not much, just tweaks at this point. Think better Active Noise Cancellation, when they first came out they were leagues above everyone else, after 4 years they are still very good but not the best of the best which can be expected due to the 4 year gap. Sound quality is very subjective, I guess lossless play back either with bluetooth or airplay and better battery life. 20 hours is good but most headphone are now in the 30 hour range, again this is due to the 4 year difference. A case would be nice but Apple will be Apple on that.
The noise cancellation is already good enough IMO. Its shocking how good these are. I wear mine for 8-10 hours a day, even outside doing yard work and the noise cancellation is so great already.

I agree with you though that there really isn't that much that they need to do for these. I think its just the internet being the internet. Apple did not update their Airpods Pro 2 despite it being their most popular ever!

I have used alternatives to Airpods Max. They are not MASSIVELY better. They are not even SLIGHTLY better. I prefer the weight and feel of the Airpods Max. I prefer the material for the cushions as I cannot....CANNOT do the fake/real leather type of cushions for more than 20 minutes or so, it REALLY irritates my skin. I regularly swap out my ear cushions so I need them easily changeable, I go through about 5 cushions in a week (just rotating them while cleaning them).
 
That's because it's an irrelevant product that doesn't sell well. You can see this with all of Apple's 'premium' lines. The Watch Ultra is worse than the Series 10. Mac Studio is bad. List goes on and isn't new (think of Mac Pro).
Seems to be impacting ALL of Apple's high end products. I am disappointed that I will be waiting until mid-2025 by current rumors for my upgrade for the Mac Studio/Pro.
 
Always a hair salon in here. Wish people felt this strongly about the world than a 4 year old pair of $549 headphones.

It is weird, though, given that I see them E V E R Y W H E R E now. I see them in every airport here and abroad, as well as people on the streets. It blows me away how slowly ubiquitous they've become—at least here in Chicago.

I am just so happy I don't have to spend any money to upgrade. I love my APM's. I have no issues with the case/lightning/battery/sound. Only wish is true wireless audio. Maybe a little lighter? But I would not tell a soul to pay $549 for these new ones. Get the OG's on sale.
It is just the internet being the internet. I don't know why age matters on HEADPHONES. I still have really hardcore audiophile friends that still used 10+ year old headphones.

What is the OMG AMAZING feature NEEDED with the H2 chip? Every other post is complaining about the chip. This isn't like an Intel processor where it is 4 generations old. I just don't understand what is so absolutely critical with the H2 chip.

This is from someone that wears the Airpods Max for 8-10 hours every single day. The noise cancellation is VERY GOOD....good enough for yard work, construction nearby, etc.
 
The problem here is that as a headphone, sound quality is the the number one priority or at least it should be. The AirPod Max most likely sound vastly superior to the cheap AirPods 4, no amount of chips will change that because of the drivers on the airpod are not on the same level as the those on the Max.
In my view the Airpods Max sounds WAY BETTER than the Airpods Pro 2.....despite it having the "OMG AMAZING H2 CHIP...MAX NEEDS IT NOW NOW NOW.
 
the only semi serious issues I had were the Lightning connection for charging and the need to put them in their so called 'case' to get them to turn off and not waste battery power.
Have they fixed this? I have never put mine in the case after 4 years of usage. And I use them for 8-10 hours a day (with breaks and things between). I just charge them when I sleep and I get a full day out of them.
 
What's missing? Oh, just every improvement in audio quality, ANC and standards like Bluetooth that was made over the last four years. Other than that, nothing much. The original APM was released at a super premium price (compared to main competitors like Sony and Bose) because it represented the best, most cutting edge headphone that Apple was capable of producing, easily eclipsing anything else in the AirPods lineup. The, cough, "new" APM retains the super premium price but no longer represents the best of anything, even among AirPods. I mean, c'mon, how hard would it have been to at least spec bump it to the H2 chip that AirPods Pro has had for 2 years... or really surprise us with a next gen H3!... and update it to the latest Bluetooth standard, not the one from 4 years ago. How about an actual on/off button, finally, and ditto for an ability to use it in wired mode. The APM 2 is a huge missed opportunity with an insulting price tag to match.
HIGHLY debatable....The current alternatives do not sounds better than the Airpods Max. Maybe if I concentrate VERY HARD I can tell a SLIGHT difference. But not really worth it IMO. Until competitors change their ear cushion material I will keep using the Airpods Max by default. It is the only one I find comfortable for 8-10 hours of daily usage. I have very sensitive skin and the other materials just won't work. I even cycle through 4-5 different pairs of ear cushions with my Max every week. Cleaning them as I cycle, so I need something that is easy to swap.
 
Have they fixed this? I have never put mine in the case after 4 years of usage. And I use them for 8-10 hours a day (with breaks and things between). I just charge them when I sleep and I get a full day out of them.
I do not think it has changed. The headphones sleep immediately they are put in the case, but only sleep after some time (not sure how much) when not put in the case. I do know that I need to charge them more frequently if I do not put them in the case. Generally I can charge them weekly with my usage when I put them in the case, but I need to recharge after a couple of days if I do not put them in the case (I also have a 3rd party case that provides the magnet used to trigger the sleep mode). It would seem to be simple to solve by having a sleep mode switch on the headphones so I do not have to remember to put them in the case. Press to sleep, press to wake up. Anyway Apple have chosen not to provide this option, along with the restriction that you can only use Airplay to connect to your music. Both significant feature shortcomings. The sound quality is very very good and the quality of the build etc. exemplary. Those they can leave alone for me. Anyway I will not be buying a new pair to get a USB C connector, that would be completely pointless to me.
 
Been waiting a year for this now debating just grabbing Bose QC ultra. Anyone recommend those over APM?

I've had both. I prefer the APM when comparing MSRP price points. The QC Ultra at sub $300 into the low 200s price point would be fine. They are good headphones but just not worth the MSRP price point. Same with APM as well. The biggest benefit of the APM is the Apple connectivity and ease of switching devices. The QC Ultra gives you two devices and it's pretty decent at switching between the two. They definitely did not feel premium or have an amazing build quality, just a slightly better version of the QC II. I'm not saying the APM is some incredible device either, but I do appreciate the apple device connectivity and ease of use. Many people will find similar usage from the beats studio pros (arguably better), but I do appreciate the premium feel of the APM.

Also, ANC for QC Ultra on flights was fantastic. The sound quality on them for everything else was meh (which is why they weren't worth it for me). I would take the B&W Px9 over the QC Ultra. And the only reason the APM beats the Px9 for me is the apple connectivity and the ANC is better.
 
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here's a question, will these play audio through the usb-c? Because, with the other ones, you couldn't. i tried, I used the official apple lightning to aux cable for an ipod and i got nothing. So maybe if i used a usb-c to aux cable i should be able to use these with an ipod. Also another question will these works via a wire with zero battery power?
So, comparing the old page to the new page, neither one indicates explicitly that they can be used wired, but if one purchased the lightning to 3.5mm cable, you could. It works with every device with a standard headphone jack that I’ve plugged into. There’s no cable currently on the store that’s USB-C/headphone, but it could appear on the day of release, we’ll see.

Which iPod did you get nothing with?
 
So, comparing the old page to the new page, neither one indicates explicitly that they can be used wired, but if one purchased the lightning to 3.5mm cable, you could. It works with every device with a standard headphone jack that I’ve plugged into. There’s no cable currently on the store that’s USB-C/headphone, but it could appear on the day of release, we’ll see.

Which iPod did you get nothing with?
I tried it with a 7th gen iPod classic and older. I also used the official Apple made lighting to aux cable. So we shall see with this model. Because unlike a lot of people, I feel these headphones didn’t need a big update. But for the price, I do want to be able to listen to music on anything wired even when the headphones are completely drained.
 
I tried it with a 7th gen iPod classic and older. I also used the official Apple made lighting to aux cable. So we shall see with this model. Because unlike a lot of people, I feel these headphones didn’t need a big update. But for the price, I do want to be able to listen to music on anything wired even when the headphones are completely drained.
If it didn’t work before with lightning to 3.5mm, I wouldn’t expect it to work with a future USB-c to 3.5mm as they’ll likely build it using the same specifications.
 
If it didn’t work before with lightning to 3.5mm, I wouldn’t expect it to work with a future USB-c to 3.5mm as they’ll likely build it using the same specifications.
Well we’ll see. I’ll either buy one and see it for myself or bring the iPod to the store and try the demo out. One way or the other I’ll find out.
 
Of course they didn't add the new chip. They have to wait until next year to do that so they can milk more people after the grandiose over exaggerated release. Im really getting sick of this company. The only thing keeping them going is these annual releases with minor updates.. nothing revolutionary
 
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Of course they didn't add the new chip. They have to wait until next year to do that so they can milk more people after the grandiose over exaggerated release. Im really getting sick of this company. The only thing keeping them going is these annual releases with minor updates.. nothing revolutionary

True that but the same accounts for the competition and can be observed in most industries that have plateaued.
 
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