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

[ersan191]

Headphones this expensive should have the option of a 3.5mm headphone cord so you can plug it in to high end equipment, vintage equipment, etc. The fact that you can only use it via bluetooth is crazy.

They do have the option... They sell an adapter cable. It even works if the battery is dead.

 

[jz0309]

100s of prototype and this is the best they come up with? If you ever used over the ear headphones while traveling, you'd know that this wouldn't work, but ...

 

[ThatGuyInLa]

.....

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🤣

Yes. This. Done.

 

[Rafterman]

Apple, prototype harder.

 

[CarlJ]

no off button. Get real.

”This new iPhone has no physical keyboard, that’ll never work - people demand physical keyboards. Get real.”

 

[Unregistered 4U]

say if you're running in the rain to transportation, hows that case going to accomplish that?

I mean... planning prior to the event you described avoids the whole situation, really. Even if I had expensive headphones in a case, I would still have those headphones in yet another bag. Because, there’s not many headphone cases that have convenient things like handles that most normal bags have.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

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.

Fair statement.

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..

You can bet that there are third parties SALIVATING over the prospect of selling cases to folks that have already proven they have the money to purchase $600 headphones

 

[CarlJ]

I don't doubt it. If people really wanted to they could get one now with some pluck foam. I've just never had a decent set of headphones that didn't come a case. Apple should have charged $50 more and included a better case.

If they’d done that, people would be complaining even more about the price. I expect the majority of these will be used around the home/office, and a hard case would go mostly unused in that environment. There are high-end headphones out there that require tube-amps. Not all headphones are designed or intended for going out jogging Or on errands around town.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

Hundreds of designs huh? Should have kept going then. I had high hopes for this product but between the cost and the looks it’s just a huge disappointment.

 

[cmaier]

To all you power-button crybabies: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...only-slightly-faster-outside-of-case.2276006/

 

[PickUrPoison]

I agree. Some people tend to assume that it's not affordable if you complain about the price being too much.

For good reason: people who can afford something aren’t necessarily the same ones complaining about the price being too high.

 

[obamtl]

1.7 billion.

BTW, it is always the case when an apple product sells out on launch that people here try the “they didn’t make any” argument.

It’s never been right once.

Here in UK, I went to the John Lewis store on launch day to 'chance' whether they had any physically in store. They didn't. But there were other people there at the same time as I to check when the store opened. Apple fortunately had them in stock, even though they didn't appear online then.

I was always willing to give them a go because if after trying it for a few days, I didn't feel it was worth the price to me, i could return it for a full refund. I can now say with confidence that they're definitely better than the Sony headphones. I have the XM3s which are quite similar to the 4s in sounds quality, and the AirPods are much better in terms of sound quality, build quality, microphone and features. They're in a different class. The AirPods are also better in noise cancelling (but this one isn't so pronounced. The Sony edges it in white noise marginally, but the AirPods are much better at cancelling other 'less predictable' sounds. The one area where the Sony wins hands down is comfort. There's no getting around the noticeable discomfort of the AirPods Max. At the end of the day, I might actually return it because of that, but I'll give it a few more days.

What this experience as taught me though is that there's certainly a higher quality of sound and build above the Bose and Sony that's there to be had, and it's ultimately a good thing for customers. There's no doubt Apple has priced this as a luxury item, not aimed at the mass market, But given that the gap between $350 and $550 is 'bridgeable' with even higher quality products than what Sony and Bose currently offer, I'd hope other companies aim to develop and release products of a similar quality and lower price, and customers end up with more choice and value in the long run.

 

[Toratek]

Edit: also, a normal case does not come with a handle.

The Sony cases do indeed have a loop handle.

 

[Mrjetsondc]

No for it’s purpose which is explained in the article it is very good design.
It’s just not a protective hard case obviously.

Get out of here Tim Apple.

 

[Rogifan]

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.

All of this is your opinion. There is no objective fact around ‘value proposition’ or what something should cost.

 

[deevey]

Maybe the worst apple product ever.
The only redeeming quality is the headband.
but it looks like the mesh doesn’t have enough support and your left with 2 hard bands on your head.
Maybe not initially but that mesh will wear down.
So complete fail across the board.

how do you test so many prototypes and test comfort but reviewers already say theyre too heavy.

no amount of interviews will save that absolutely horrendous case design

no off button. Get real.

if you spend $549 on these, you deserve it.

Tell that to the folks who use mesh office chairs and back supports 8+ hours a day with the weight of a full size human sitting on them.

My guess is that the mesh is going to last a LOOONG time.

 

[ani4ani]

“Normal cases” don’t come with a handle for a reason: that’s stupid and why would you want to carry the things around like a purse?
Your statement that “they’re big” is also nonsense, as I was carrying around a pair of early gen Bose QC’s 20 years ago and they weren’t any bigger than this. The EarPods turned sideways so the whole thing could fit flat into a hard case, which fit just fine in my carryon. Indeed the overall footprint would hardly be increased by enclosing the whole set into a hard case instead of leaving the headband exposed.
It’s just an all around stupid design, one Apple clearly didn’t bother to run past a focus group of actual users before giving the green light to. Of all the reviews I’ve read, every single one dinged the case, some more harshly than others, but not one reviewer liked it.

I agree and of course the other reason for a case is to hold your power adaptors and any wired cable you might want to use etc.

 

[ani4ani]

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.

Except Apple never release quarterly numbers

 

[LongWayHome]

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.

LOL so EVERY SINGLE TIME they are surprised by demand and don't make enough? At what point does logistics at Apple say "We have now figured out that people want these products!" Come on, they have a limited number of items at launch which is why they sold out.

 

[rgbrock1]

Boooobbbbies!

 

[CarlJ]

I agree and of course the other reason for a case is to hold your power adaptors and any wired cable you might want to use etc.

If you’re using them at home, you won’t be putting the power adaptors and wired cable away between uses.

 

[Realityck]

Interesting
AirPods Max don’t feature a physical power button, you have to use the Smart Case to turn the headphones off. If you don’t use the case, they will just drain battery “for about two hours until they go into auto low power mode.”

 

[NMBob]

100s of prototype and this is the best they come up with? If you ever used over the ear headphones while traveling, you'd know that this wouldn't work, but ...

Things are different in the private jet universe.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

This case sucks, as a case. It really doesn't protect the device. The question is, is it even intended to?

Whether or not I can afford or own these is irrelevant. The issue here is not price (at least not for me).

I can clearly tell the the zip-up Beats cases are superior cases.

We have to give credit where credit is due, but to not criticize obvious flaws smacks of fanboyism.

 

[Grolubao]

I honestly don't understand why anyone would pick these vs the Airpods Pro that cost $250 less, way more portable, convenient, I mean what's the cons?