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If this is the future of Apple design they’re in trouble lol. The case is one of the most laughably designed cases ever.
Isn't it amazing how a beautiful and premium product like this can be completely undermined by an underwhelming accessory like the "bra" case? While I appreciate their move toward minimalism, this is a useless accessory that will likely get lost, forgotten, and left behind. And the fact that the headphones cannot be turned off without it? That's a mind-numbingly stupid design decision.

I'm also not a fan of the mesh ear cushions and headband, unless they are washable. Oils, dirt, and hair product are going to make a mess of those in no time. There's a reason most headphone manufacturers use synthetic leather. It's durable, you can wipe it clean, and it doesn't show oils, dirt, or stains.
I take it you can't afford them then?

I didn't think I could, but then I sold my son's PS4 and gaming chair to raise some cash. problem solved.
 
I love my pair, but the upper mesh part is extremely sensitive. I imagine this tearing/ripping easily.
 
I believe this was the reasoning behind the odd choice and I, for one, agree. I don’t keep keys or coins in the backpack, but space is a scarce resource.
I don’t even have anything in my backpack that would scratch these, even without the case. Maybe my aluminum laptop, but... there’s like a section for that, why would I put it in the section with the headphones? Then again, I don’t have sand in my pocket, either, so I’m never surprised by strange scratches on my iPhone screen.

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.
If you have AppleCare+ go ahead and do it. They’ll replace it twice in a calendar year for “accidental damage”. Put it on YouTube and rake in the ad bucks! No one has done it yet!
 
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Lol which "low end cans" are you referring to. Apple is directly competing with Sony and Bose on these which both weigh considerable less. If you want to call Beats low end cans, that's fine, because they are for the most part garbage. Sony and Bose have consistently put out some of the best ANC headphones on the market. And I'm not sure which of the other high end headphones you listed weigh more than the AirPods Pro Max. They are without a doubt VERY heavy and many including myself have reported them to be uncomfortable after a few hours wear.

MW60’s weigh only 40 grams less. Denon MM-400’s weight about 10 grams more. It’s not uncommon for headphones to weigh around the same as AirPods max.
 
Every single time an apple product sells out, people who don’t like the product (because they can’t afford it, usually) claim “they didn’t MAKE any! That’s why it sold out!”

Then the quarterly numbers come out, and every single time we find out they were wrong.

So good luck with that. I’m sure this time you’ll be right.
Well, no. That's not the case at all. These things are easy to understand and predict with a little bit of market knowledge. A pair of $549 headphones that have a slightly premium design but are not measurably better than $250 competitors are not an obvious sale to anyone outside of what I call "the Apple minimum".

Every product Apple releases, no matter what it is, is purchased by a minimum of users immediately. People who are big Apple fans and have lots of disposable cash. These are the same people who purchased the original HomePod when it came out, despite the fact that there was little reason to buy a $349 smart speaker when the next nearest competitor was $199 from Sonos. The HomePod bombed at $349, had to be reduced to $299, and now no one buys them except during flash sales from retailers where you can get them for $250 or less.

The entire rest of the market outside of the Apple minimum has to make buying decisions based on value. Many Apple product's have a value that far exceeds their price differential to competitors. A Mac is so much better than a Windows PC that the Macs prices are not only fair, they're too low for the value difference.

Apple has other products, however, that do not have the same value proposition. Not many, but increasingly more over time. The Home Pod was a big one. The AirPods Max are even more egregious. They should not cost more than $349 based on their value proposition and comparison to competitive products + Apple tax. They're $200 more than that. No one outside of the Apple minimum is even considering these as a serious purchase. Just like Home Pod.
 
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Disclaimer: sure, there are some people who like or don't mind the case. But the reaction is overwhelmingly negative.
Negative reactions get MUCH more engagement than positive. So, if you’re on social media and want attention, the best way to get it is being negative. In fact, you’ll never know about the accurate large number of folks that don’t mind the case because most aren’t going to post anything about it. I guess they might mention it to their IRL friends in passing?

Hearing “overwhelmingly negative” is not surprising.
 
There's no question that case and the headphones were designed to look as conspicuous as possible so everyone knows you have Apple(tm) AirPods Max
 
That makes sense to you? That Apple—or any company really—would release a product that burns through the same amount of battery when off as when it’s being used? Give me a break. There’s plenty of actual things to criticize about these without grasping at straws.
AHA! I think this is the big problem, that there’s NOT a lot of actual things to criticize. Once you get outside the big three, it’s all edge cases from there. :)
 
What a load of bull. What’s ironic is that the AirPods and AirPods Pro have set the gold standard for true wireless earpod storage efficiency and case design. And then this abomination comes out. Who the heck thought THIS was a good idea anyway?
 
That's someone who's never tried to pull a pair out of a packed daypack with a bunch of junk and cables in it. The full case keeps things from getting tangled in it. Yet again an 'inside the bubble' view.
Random junk and cables tangled randomly with no organization? That is a person that we can expect would also own $600 headphones?
 
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Headphones should be protected from the environment more in storage, say if you're running in the rain to transportation, hows that case going to accomplish that?


Another thing you touch the mesh portion of the headphones with dirty hands in that smart case, how's that a positive these days.
 
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Still not having a power button is pretty silly, and be forced to use this "case" in order to save battery life.
Just cut out just the part where the magnets are and have it in your pocket, the rest of the case is useless anyway
 
Why does one need to be able to afford something to have an opinion on something? For all you know, they might be much wealthier than you, and they still don’t like them.
I agree. Some people tend to assume that it's not affordable if you complain about the price being too much.
 
What a load of bull. What’s ironic is that the AirPods and AirPods Pro have set the gold standard for true wireless earpod storage efficiency and case design. And then this abomination comes out. Who the heck thought THIS was a good idea anyway?

Well I’d say it’s inarguable that this case is efficient, in that it takes up essentially no space. It’s odd-looking and not particularly protective, but it’s certainly efficient.
 
I have to say it, these are in no way premium $550 plus headphones. The only pluses I see are apple integration and sound.
1. They are very heavy and I have worn headphone lighter that felt too heavy.
2. Mesh? Really, for $550? People are reporting them showing dirt on day one
3. Lightening adapter. With all the tech we own a single universal plug needs to be used.
4. The presentation of the headphones just doesn't scream premium. Even beats have a case, headphone jack cable.
5. The case just doesn't make sense, especially since they don't fold. What am I supposed to do? Carry my purse headphone around?
6. The shape is as basic as it comes and it just looks boring.
7. For being so heavy you would think that they have better battery life but they don't.

If I was going to be spending over $500 on headphones they better look like these and come packaged like headphones costing over $500 should.
 

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MW60’s weigh only 40 grams less. Denon MM-400’s weight about 10 grams more. It’s not uncommon for headphones to weigh around the same as AirPods max.

Master and Dynamic MW65 - 245 grams
Bang and Olufsen Hi9 - 285 grams
Sennheiser Momentum 3 - 305 grams


Airpods Max - 385 grams

I would say that the APM are much heavier than the high end headphones that Apple is competing with. Its the achillies heel of the APM and you can bet that Apple will massively reduce the weight in the next version as its going to be people's number one complaint.
 
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I like the design of the headphones but that case is ridiculous and no power button seems odd.. It wouldn't stop me from getting them but I wonder if it's feasible a 3rd party could offer a more tradition case that performs the same functions..
 
MW60’s weigh only 40 grams less. Denon MM-400’s weight about 10 grams more. It’s not uncommon for headphones to weigh around the same as AirPods max.

We have my dad's Airpods Max here and did some weight comparisons:

Airpods Max - 384g
Sennheiser HD800 - 332g
Sennheiser HD650 - 270g
Sony 1000XM4 - 258g
Master & Dynamics MW65 - 248g
Bose QC35ii - 236g

Seriously, even counting my Sennheiser HD800, the Airpods Max is the heaviest headphone we currently have at home.

I knew it was going to be heavy, but I didn't expect how heavy it actually is. This thing... is pretty substantial in person.

Sound-wise, eh... it's alright.
 
They should not cost more than $349 based on their value proposition and comparison to competitive products + Apple tax.
They should cost what the market will bear, though. No more (or sales will suffer) no less (or you won’t make your desired profit). There are many millions that share a similar value view as yours. I’m guessing Apple has accounted for this and, out of the billions of people in the world, they are targeting the millions that see the value for price as appropriate. They don’t HAVE to be for everyone, just enough folks to make a profit from.

And that’s pretty much been Apple’s MO for a long time, they’re never going to be number 1 in PC sales or Phone sales, but the sales they DO make to that sliver of folks will be profitable.
 
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