I'm not sure what these earth shattering breakthroughs are you reference but I don't need my headphones to have them. I need them to have the best technology available for transmitting sound over bluetooth, excellent sound and to offer value. We already know they do not offer the best BT technology available. Jury is out on sound. Early reviews are positive so we shall see. As far as industrial design that's not something I prioritize in a headphone. Absolutely understand if someone else does.
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Apple Announces AirPods Max Over-Ear Headphones With Noise Cancellation, Priced at $549
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Probably about as much as you have for the opposite.
I'm copy-pasting this from an older post to save time:
Although apple are usually masters of gauging market demand for existing product lines, unless they have previous data that confidently indicates high demand for a new product, the first batch for all 1.0 products like this are usually made in limited quantity. There are a few reasons:
- It allows them to better gauge real demand going forward
- Prevents stockpiling a product that doesn't sell as hoped
- Any early issues with the product are contained to a smaller set of customers and a revision can be pumped out as fast as possible.
It's not a "growing trend" or a conspiracy, it's business 101. Additionally regarding AirPods Max specifically, there were apparently last minute changes which delayed production, also the now-typical covid19 related production delays which has affected the production time of basically everything launched in 2020.
The irony and hypocrisy in your post is unrelenting. At absolutely no point have I made any attempt to frame Apple as the 'king of all tech'. In fact I very specifically said I don't agree with the price of AirPods Max, and repeatedly tried to explain why the sound quality won't be anything truly amazing. Pretending you're a victim when you get upset, now that's a joke.
Denying near non-existent industry support for LDAC is loopy:
MacOS devices: None.
iOS devices: None.
Windows devices: None.
TV's: None (including even Sony's own TV's lol!).
BT dongles: None.
Android phones: Yes*, *8.0+, disabled by default.
And just because something is technically supported on android, does not automatically mean it also has widespread use. Enjoy only using LDAC on your phone. Enjoy believing you are getting hi-res audio over bluetooth(it's not). Maintaining a stable 990kbps LDAC connection basically requires keeping the phone strapped to your head at all times. Enjoy.
Personally, I will be able to recover the additional cost of APM's by not having to lose hours of time every year faffing with bluetooth settings just to switch between devices.
It’s not wrong to focus on sound quality in a vacuum (after all, that’s what a pair of headphones ought to be good at), but I feel there is still too much near-term thinking here.
What I suspect (and have been suspecting for a while now) is that Apple is laying down the foundation for AirPods to become the next big wearables platform after the Apple Watch.
Above Avalon: AirPods Are Becoming a Platform
If AirPods were magical, AirPods Pro are supernatural. Apple’s newest pair of AirPods continues to make waves with “augmented hearing” entering people’s vocabulary. However, the broader implications found with Apple’s AirPods strategy are just as impressive. Apple is quickly removing all available o
www.aboveavalon.com
When evaluating Apple products, I find it sometimes helps to also think about how Apple is potentially setting the stage for the future. Certain announcements and features make much more sense when thinking about what Apple will likely unveil in the following years.
We know that Apple has been steadily building up their wearables platform with the Apple Watch, and are currently working on AR glasses, and AirPods are likely another key player in making everything come together.
In short, I wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the other features like spatial audio and noise transparency.
Not going to get the Airpod Max at this price. I have Beats Studio 3 and the noise cancellation works very well. I get good battery life out of them, and they charge from almost dead to full during the lunch hour if needed.
While the Airport Max might look better, as far as I am concerned, the looks do not justify spending that money in my workflow. The Beats Studio work for my workflow.
But that is my situation.
While the Airport Max might look better, as far as I am concerned, the looks do not justify spending that money in my workflow. The Beats Studio work for my workflow.
But that is my situation.
If you don’t have a need then no need to rush out. Original AirPods sold out quickly in a similar holiday release. However they were unique. They replaced corded EarPods. For the max AirPods ones we already have several similar sets to choose from or own already.
This is what I call weak sauce. We are taking about high end bluetooth headphones where Apple apparently is attacking the market at the mid to high end. LDAC has been a staple of portable audiophile gear for several years now. LDAC in TV is overkill. You can argue all you want that it's not a meaningful upgrade and that's fair. But it absolutely has been adopted by the audiophile community. And we've already established why Apple won't license it. The Max won't be embraced by the audiophile community because it lacks a Hi Res option. Maybe Apple doesn't care and maybe it won't hurt sales.
I'm any event, this horse is dead so I'm going to stop now. Suffice to say we disagree. Time and sales will tell. As I said earlier, I love new tech and I hope that the Max turns into a must have device.
These aren't new or groundbreaking concepts though. Audeze introduced spatial audio with the Mobius and there are many examples of surround sound implentations in headphones. Sony offers 360 degree audio for example. And transparency has been around for a while and is a basic feature in even the cheapest true wireless headphones. Maybe Apple will bring something new to the table.
Maybe this is irrational, but I find it so difficult - near impossible - to buy electronics like this at this price due to the expendable battery life. I can use headphones from 20 years ago today. With ever-evolving Bluetooth, wireless technology, and most importantly the limited charge cycle of batteries, I hate how NOT bifl products are nowadays. 
Lol how is it weak sauce when you can't take advantage of it on the things that matter most(I'm not actually asking you, obviously you can't answer that). And the most popular form of uncompressed audio is consumed through TV's, did you forget about blurays? If I could only choose one place to have better bluetooth audio it would be my TV.
There's nothing stopping the "audiophile community" from using APM's because they know better and still use a cable. And APM's are not limited to bluetooth.
Of course you're going to stop, the hole you dug yourself into surely can't get any deeper.
Apple’s spatial audio is arguably impressive as it is, but you have to remember that Apple fans like Abazigal enjoy being locked in and don’t care to look around.
Regardless of the features offered and as a semi can head, I am interested in how it sounds and its mic on calls. I was very underwhelmed by the APP, so many of these initial reviews don’t resonate well so far
The only thing more ridiculous then this thread is the case for the 550 dollar headphones.
Astonishing price. I bought a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 last year for half the price of the AirPods Max and that was before they were replaced by the new model. Not sure what an extra £200+ would be getting me.
So with these 549 USD headphones arriving, i have to ask: where is the technological replacement of the abandoned headphone jack? 256K AAC, getting really long in the tooth, surely can't be it. That has been available almost since the days of Christopher Kolumbus. Just the H1 chip for connectivity? A little bit of Hoopladoo with Spatial Audio?
Given the track record and the sound abilities of the Airpod Pros, I am still puzzled how on earth Apple can justify such a high price tag with the 256K AAC APMs. The carrying case seems to match the APMs. More a fashion and status statement than a serious audio device.
Ah, well. I will keep my Shure 1540s a bit longer.
I expected more from Apple this round
Given the track record and the sound abilities of the Airpod Pros, I am still puzzled how on earth Apple can justify such a high price tag with the 256K AAC APMs. The carrying case seems to match the APMs. More a fashion and status statement than a serious audio device.
Ah, well. I will keep my Shure 1540s a bit longer.
I expected more from Apple this round
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Wire support is still there, just need to use a lightning to 3.5mm cable, or lightning adapter with existing cable. I would have preferred to see usb-c instead of lightning or standard jack(which is also older than time).So with these 549 USD headphones arriving, i have to ask: where is the technological replacement of the abandoned headphone jack? 256K AAC, getting really long in the tooth, surely can't be it. That has been available almost since the days of Christopher Kolumbus. Just the H1 chip for connectivity? A little bit of Hoopladoo with Spatial Audio?
Given the track record and the sound abilities of the Airpod Pros, I am still puzzled how on earth Apple can justify such a high price tag with the 256K AAC APMs. The carrying case seems to match the APMs. More a fashion and status statement than a serious audio device.
Ah, well. I will keep my Shure 1540s a bit longer.
I expected more from Apple this round
The reason is not dissimilar to why iPhones have been getting more expensive of late, and have even taken to dropping accessories like the charging brick.
They cost more because they cost more to make. Selling it at $350 or even $450 probably won’t even come close to covering the costs involved. Likewise, it’s going to be a low-volume product, which is why Apple is probably comfortable rolling it out at the price point that they did.
The AirPods max is aimed at customers who want something more than AirPods Pro and are willing to pay for deep integration with the Apple ecosystem. There will probably still be a few million people who fit the bill one way or another.
Sony 360 degree audio and the like are complete garbage compared to Apple’ Spatial Audio. You do need to be in the Apple ecosystem to get the benefit though (have other Apple devices).
This is what I’ve been saying! For 550 I thought we’d be wowed with a new delivery mechanism. I’m aware headphones cost a lot, but for a top tier consumer device (as opposed to audiophile or pro-audio) I thought we’d get better technology.So with these 549 USD headphones arriving, i have to ask: where is the technological replacement of the abandoned headphone jack? 256K AAC, getting really long in the tooth, surely can't be it. That has been available almost since the days of Christopher Kolumbus. Just the H1 chip for connectivity? A little bit of Hoopladoo with Spatial Audio?
Given the track record and the sound abilities of the Airpod Pros, I am still puzzled how on earth Apple can justify such a high price tag with the 256K AAC APMs. The carrying case seems to match the APMs. More a fashion and status statement than a serious audio device.
Ah, well. I will keep my Shure 1540s a bit longer.
I expected more from Apple this round
Taken from an "initial" review:
"Despite the high price of the AirPods Max, support for Hi-Res Audio files is limited to Apple's own Apple Digital Masters tracks, which are only available via Apple Music. Again, this makes it feel as though we're being somewhat shortchanged, as we'd expect comprehensive codec support at this price."
What a predictable statement.
I expect every review to say the exact same thing. Good sound. Lacks proper codec support and too expensive for what it offers.
www.techradar.com
"Despite the high price of the AirPods Max, support for Hi-Res Audio files is limited to Apple's own Apple Digital Masters tracks, which are only available via Apple Music. Again, this makes it feel as though we're being somewhat shortchanged, as we'd expect comprehensive codec support at this price."
What a predictable statement.
I expect every review to say the exact same thing. Good sound. Lacks proper codec support and too expensive for what it offers.
Apple AirPods Max - recension
AirPods Max är perfekta hörlurar för Apple-fantasten
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The 360 degree audio paired with a proper 360 degree source sounds pretty good to me. More problematic as you point out is fragmentation. So now manufacturers are developing proprietary surround sound technologies that are limited to their ecosystem. Bad for consumers.
I somewhat agree, I would want Apple Spatial Audio to work with any input source, such as PS5 or a bluray player. I think the only real alternative to Apple Spatial Audio at the moment is the JVC Exofield headphones which at $999 are more expensive but work with any HDMI input source, look nicer (to me) and don’t come with a handbag case.
Of course it can. Even as audio over bluetooth, a proper implementation of it would be audibly transparent in most cases :
The ultimate guide to Bluetooth headphones: AAC only acceptable on Apple phones
Along with default SBC and Qualcomm's aptX, AAC is a commonly supported Bluetooth codec in the wireless headphone and speaker markets.
www.soundguys.com
BTW LDAC isn't necessarily better than AAC :
The ultimate guide to Bluetooth headphones: LDAC isn't Hi-res
Sony’s LDAC has risen to popularity as the audiophile-grade Bluetooth codec. Can LDAC match the quality of wired 24-bit/96kHz Hi-Res audio?
www.soundguys.com
Codecs in general are a lot less important than how exactly are they implemented. It's a device by device thing.
These days it seems that being an audiophile means chasing the least relevant bullet points on a spec sheet and not bothering about the most important : FR curve at your eardrum.