Apple's Chinese Suppliers Are Making AirPods Max in Vietnam

[ophh1]

From The Verge just now.
It shows the AirPods Max is assembled in China.

 

[meru890]

Genuinely baffled by so many comments about these being insanely overpriced when no one has even heard them. If they are only as good as the Sony XM4's then yes, they are over priced. If they are better, then they are worth more. Perhaps we should wait and see? Apple have a pretty good track record now of great sound (not audiophile sound) with HomePod & AirPods Pro.

I got the XM4 and really love it, i will be interesting to see how much better Apple actually is and if you can even notice the difference at such a high level (I'm no audio specialist). But what's bugging me most about the headphones is that you can't fold them. The package is huge for traveling and combined with the smart case it looks kind like a purse.

/edit just saw the full video the missing on/off switch - such an Apple thing This and the package size is a no go for me, even if they would just cost 200 dollars, no matter the quality. But I like the look of it, bet sound is amazing too.

Marcus got a review:

 

[viettanium]

oh, from my country :v

 

[haunebu]

I have a Power Mac G5 Quad that says "Assembled in USA" on it.

 

[mannyvel]

It's always amusing seeing people complain about price relative to component costs.

Why do you believe there's a relationship between MSRP and component costs?

"Milk is $2/gallon? I can get that from a cow for free!"

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I know that they can be wired but without power, none of the technology will function making these a basic pair of headphones.

On my current headphones, the ANC is an all or nothing thing. When you plug in the cable, it powers up and still provides all the technology. So, that’s 20 hours wireless, probably slightly more (because the wireless tech doesn’t have to power up) wired.

 

[Spock]

" the batteries cannot be replaced" - The batteries are replaceable and are serviced by Apple.

"but they forget that those companies have been making headphones a lot longer than Apple." - not a good way of looking at things , look at Tesla , or M1 , or countless other examples , when you are at the top , companies have a benchmark to clear , and there is no reason to believe Apple cant clear that benchmark with enough resources invested.
Its not like its their first go at an Audio product ....

The batteries in the AirPods and AirPods Pro are not replaceable, they don’t get serviced. AirPods go in the bin and you get a replacement, that’s not very environmentally friendly. I’m hoping that because these are bigger, the batteries can be replaced. And saying that Apple has experience in headphones with the Beats brand is a stretch, Beats are not that good. And the M1 is a first generation product by name only, Apple has been a chip maker for a while now. And Tesla? They can’t even make the bumpers stay on or release a software update that doesn’t take away a feature.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

AirPods go in the bin and you get a replacement, that’s not very environmentally friendly.

AirPods go to be recycled, which is indeed environmentally friendly. MUCH more environmentally friendly than throwing them away and buying a new set. (Which, some people still do)

 

[Kuckuckstein]

Acoustic devices of high quality require extremely precise fine mechanics. I was impressed to see several manufacturers being able to bid for the production, but seeing the comments about quality control I start to wonder. And maybe the different bidders are just doing final assembly, and the speaker parts are sourced from one specialist.
Anyway, hats off to those manufacturers in Asia for what they have achieved and it is a pity that this kind of craftsmanship has largely moved away from Europe and America. If it can’t be done cheap, we should go back to the old days: pay a bit more in the beginning but then have things repaired for a reasonable price. Well, one can dream.

 

[MacBH928]

less China manufacturing = good

Not to hate on China and the Chinese, but with power comes corruption. We don't want 1 country to build everything for us.

 

[G5isAlive]

yes for what they offer, it's overpriced. no doubt, but real reviews will only prove it. you'll see the general opinion will be not what Apple expects..

No doubt? On what do you base this conclusion. Facts are always a nice thing to have in your corner when making such absolute value judgements. Heck at this point I would even settle for just a well made argument based on design considerations and specifications. You'll see the reviews do not support your opinion

 

[JPack]

From The Verge just now.
It shows the AirPods Max is assembled in China.

First production run is always in China in order to achieve the highest quality.

Even when "assembled in Vietnam" is stamped, 90% of the manufacturing remains in China. Vietnam and India receive knock down kits for assembly. Plenty of interviews with GoerTek, Luxshare, and Foxconn employees to confirm this.

 

[its93rc]

I’m surprised there were no part leaks for this. That’s so impressive.

 

[falainber]

Where hi-end headphones are made:
Audeze - USA
Grado - USA
Beyerdynamic - Germany
Focal - France
Sennheiser - Germany
Ultrasone - Germany, Taiwan
Apple - Vietnam