Apple Prototyped Hundreds of AirPods Max Designs, Says Smart Case is Designed for Storage Efficiency

[yurc]

Well, that's called clip, sleeve....certainly not case.

Apple wan't headphone looks so badly with scratches so we can splurge another one.

 

[cmaier]

I don't know, the mesh in the headband doesn't feel like its especially strong. Honestly I guarantee I could easily rip it if I tried to. The case is just not good.

Feels pretty strong to me.

 

[ruslan120]

The battery is large enough and the battery management is efficient enough for me not to worry at all about power use or turning them on and off

 

[Quu]

It's easy to say that we are wrong and they know what they're doing because they have the money, the designers, the experience and are actually making the product.

But they're just wrong. This "case" is just not up to par for a $550 pair of wireless headphones. The Sony XM4 has a much much nicer case. In-fact I'd go so far as to say the Airpods Max don't even have a case, it's more like a baggy with holes in it.

 

[mikejobson]

Hopefully, someone makes a nice case. Keen to get one that isn't 'Amazon basics' and to be honest would have been nice they made a premium alternative much as they have for other product lines.

Just not this. This case isn't it.

 

[drinkingtea]

That case is a complete slap in the face. I can hear Apple employees snickering at the suckers who buy these headphones.

 

[BWhaler]

The headband is? It’s fabric. What about it getting filthy in your bag? Before it goes back on your head?

Efficiency? Setting aside how corporate-design-speak and lazy that characterization is, then use same thin plastic but cover whole case....still not bulky.

What about the fact the slot and the charging port don’t align? This is some Samsung level attention to detail here.

I can’t believe Apple allowed this clown to try publicly explain away his crappy design. The explanations make it worse.

 

[verniesgarden]

wish they designed the headphones to fold, would have given much better case options

 

[cmaier]

That case is a complete slap in the face. I can hear Apple employees snickering at the suckers who buy these headphones.

You’ve apparently never been slapped in the face.

 

[incoherent_1]

Not really, I heard that the battery drain is really minimal.

According to the reviews I’ve seen, they continue to draw normal amounts of power (equivalent to being in use) for two hours before going into sleep mode.

I guess it’s all relative, but losing 10% of the battery if you don’t store it in the ridiculously inadequate case seems ridiculous.

 

[cmaier]

According to the reviews I’ve seen, they continue to draw normal amounts of power (equivalent to being in use) for two hours before going into sleep mode.

I guess it’s all relative, but losing 10% of the battery if you don’t store it in the ridiculously inadequate case seems ridiculous.

People are reporting losing only 2 or 3% of battery after 20 hours out of the case. It doesn’t use “equivalent to being in use” for 2 hours - it goes into a standby, just not deep sleep.

 

[Quu]

The thing I find most unbelievable is they say they spent so much time making an ultra mobile case for storage efficiency but then make a headset 50% heavier than the competition with equal sound and noise cancelling (according to reviews).

What was the point in that? Just looks over function on something you actually have to wear and will feel the weight constantly.

 

[Ron21]

.....

🤣

 

[japanime]

In other Apple news, Eugene Whang was promoted to Vice President of Excuses.

 

[BeatCrazy]

According to the reviews I’ve seen, they continue to draw normal amounts of power (equivalent to being in use) for two hours before going into sleep mode.

I guess it’s all relative, but losing 10% of the battery if you don’t store it in the ridiculously inadequate case seems ridiculous.

Except you don't lose 10%

Based on my testing, assuming no case the AirPods Max drain 1.5% battery per hour, for the first two hours then they go to sleep (i.e. power off) state, and don't drain any more than lithium-ion headphones that are technically off.

So 3%, worst case scenario.

 

[zedsdead]

The AirPods Max deliver in all aspects of sound quality and build. I do wish the Digital Crown had more resistance, but it's a minor quibble (I changed the direction of volume up and down in settings as well).

The case I was worried about, but it fits perfectly in my bag and as the interview does state, is easy to remove from the circular hard cases of other brands. I was worried, but so far they may have made a right choice with the case.

As for turning them off, not sure why you can't just hold the Transparency button in for like 5 seconds to do that. Seems like an easy solution.

 

[aziatiklover]

This is the type of a Karen would say.

 

[neilw]

The root problem is that the headphones don't fold in any reasonable way to allow for a more efficient case. So they apparently didn't want a ginormous case that could contain the whole thing, and ended up with... that.

The most important thing they should take note of the fact that no one likes the case. It doesn't matter what their objectives were, and whether they felt they met them, or whatever.

Disclaimer: sure, there are some people who like or don't mind the case. But the reaction is overwhelmingly negative.

 

[masochist]

Honestly the storage efficiency makes sense. I have more headphone covers I don't use because they take too much space.

What doesn't make sense is why we still don't know if it's 256kbps AAC or lossless over wireless somehow?

Does the new Airpod Max support lossless audio on wireless?

Earlier AirPods and AirPods Pro models send audio over 256kbps AAC. As I use Tidal HiFi (lossless streaming) and some offline flac/wav files, I still need to use wired headphones, and I need to get...

apple.stackexchange.com

Let's see your A/B test results proving you can hear the difference. Otherwise you're not getting any benefit.

 

[j_in_tx]

For $550, throw in hard case that costs $.50 to make. And let the user decide whether they want it or not. Or design one and let the user redeem it in store for free. Anyways, I’m sure we will see third party cases soon.

You could just use the box that it came in. That’s essentially what the case would be.

 

[LongWayHome]

Feels pretty strong to me.

Seriously? Strong in what way? Its a flimsy mesh material. You don't think it could be easily punctured or torn if something got snagged on it in a bag?

 

[nutmac]

I would buy AirPods Max if:

• Case is an optional accessory and AirPods Max retails for $50 less ($499). I don't want that silly thing, especially since AirPods Max would be used at home or office almost exclusively.
• USB-C instead of Lightning port. IMO, Lightning's days are numbered. Apple Watch or MagSafe charger would be nice too.
• Customizable auto sleep timer (I think it's set to 2 hours, which is insane).
• Spatial Audio also works with Apple TV and Mac.

 

[Freida]

I would say that this is first product from Apple that is truly bad design on so many levels. It almost feels like it wasn't even designed by Apple California and instead they asked intern to go wild with some Apple elements.
Shame, I'm in the market to replace my QC25 so I guess I'll either go with the new Bose ones or I'll look at the Sony. Undecided yet. Best thing though is that I could buy two for the price of Apple so it really is win win either way.

Apple, you've failed on this one. Maybe next iteration will be better.

 

[iapplelove]

lmao a handle

 

[dszakal]

Let's see your A/B test results proving you can hear the difference. Otherwise you're not getting any benefit.

I passed that test on a nice speaker system with a good DAC. I know what I'm talking about I can prove I hear the difference. I didn't pass a 24 bit vs 16 bit test, but I did pass 320mp3 vs wav and 256aac vs wav tests. I was able to tell on a blind test.