Gurman: New AirPods Max and Apple TV Unlikely to Be Announced at September Apple Event

[MacRumors]

New versions of the AirPods Max and Apple TV may not debut at Apple's upcoming "It's Glowtime" event, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today suggested.

In a report detailing some final expectations for the September 9 Apple event, Gurman said that the company is still working on a new version of the AirPods Max with new color options and a USB-C port instead of Lightning. This product refresh has been rumored for some time, but with plenty of AirPods Max inventory still in stock, Gurman suggested that the new model may not arrive until later.

Likewise, Apple has apparently been working on an updated Apple TV that was originally supposed to launch earlier this year. With no sign of the new model and stable inventory of the current model, Gurman says that "a new version isn't on the immediate horizon."

The new AirPods Max are not expected to feature the H2 chip introduced in September 2022 or features like Adaptive Audio. Gurman previously said that the changes are expected to be so minor that the refreshed device will still be considered to be first-generation AirPods Max.

Whenever it comes out, the next Apple TV is rumored to feature a faster processor than the current A15 Bionic chip, and even lower pricing. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that the next Apple TV could have a sub-$100 starting price

Article Link: Gurman: New AirPods Max and Apple TV Unlikely to Be Announced at September Apple Event

 

[whsbuss]

Yeah count me out. Why would they not update to the H2 chip?

 

[karranz]

I see a lot of people with AirPods Max in my gym and Apple chooses not to update them, I just don’t get it.

 

[JCCL]

Why would anyone buy and device with lightning in 2024, particularly a high end one.

 

[antonrg]

Just give me the new AirPods, mine are on the last breath, they last max 20 mins hahah

 

[abatabia]

Wait years for an update only for a spec bump. Either they’re that good and don’t need to be updated or welcome to Apple today.

 

[vegetassj4]

CrabApplePro has reported the exact opposite: The AirPods Pro are to be one of the stars of the event.

and even posted a rendering

 

[komuh]

Surely new stuff won't break in a climate with 30% + humidity when they push AirpodsMax 2 in 2027, surely.

 

[russell_314]

Why would anyone buy and device with lightning in 2024, particularly a high end one.

Because they have an iPhone with a lightning port and don’t want to use a separate charging cable for their phone and earbuds? Not everyone is a tech nerd that buys a new iPhone every year.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Why would anyone buy and device with lightning in 2024, particularly a high end one.

Because it doesn't matter?

 

[JCCL]

Because they have an iPhone with a lightning port and don’t want to use a separate charging cable for their phone and earbuds? Not everyone is a tech nerd that buys a new iPhone every year.

Who do you think is the target market for 500 USD Apple headphones?

 

[JCCL]

Because it doesn't matter?

Yeah, I have one cable, that I can charge my Mac, iPad, PC Laptop, iPhone and Sony XM5. Yet I would have to keep a lightning around to charge one device.

 

[SAIRUS]

Hear me out, Tim Cook will likely just swap out the lightning port to a usb c port...and that'll be it. No physical changes (maybe some new colors).

They'll brag about maybe at most hearing uncompressed music over usb c (as they have headphones with Beats that already do this), but they will likely "forget" to mention it would not be the high end range of lossless some tracks on iTunes/Apple Music provide.

 

[coffeemilktea]

Gurman previously said that the changes are expected to be so minor that the refreshed device will still be considered to be first-generation AirPods Max.

Given how long it's been since the AirPods Max came out, I'd be more surprised if Apple didn't make a big deal out of the refresh. 🤔

 

[yanksfan114]

Yeah, I have one cable, that I can charge my Mac, iPad, PC Laptop, iPhone and Sony XM5. Yet I would have to keep a lightning around to charge one device.

Why would you have an Airpods Max if you have XM5's?

 

[yanksfan114]

Is Gurman solely guessing this based on inventory levels? He also predicted FineWoven is going away based on the stock going very low this month, yet cases always go low right before they're replaced every single year. Inventory for things other than main products (macs, ipads, etc) arent always the best sign of an update.

 

[russell_314]

Who do you think is the target market for 500 USD Apple headphones?

People who buy $500 over the ear headphones aren’t exclusively tech nerds. People in the Apple ecosystem with enough money not to be bothered about buying cheaper ones.

I have a friend who bought them and she’s far from a tech nerd.

 

[Regret]

I think it’s pretty obvious what they’re trying to do with the half-step AirPods Max upgrade. They’re going to give it USB-C sooner so they can release the full second gen upgrade a little while later. That way all of the airpods have USB on top of having two different over ear headphones for sale at two different prices. Hopefully in a year or two it means you won’t need to pay half a grand for an entry level Max headset

 

[Jamie0003]

What exactly would be the point in a new Apple TV?

I mean, I dbout there are many people using it for gaming

I’d love to see a true lossless capable Apple TV that functions as a HomePod with a camera/mic for FaceTime but other than that what’s the point?

Apart from maybe adding an M1 for AI support

 

[ignatius345]

Just give me the new AirPods, mine are on the last breath, they last max 20 mins hahah

Highly recommend battery service. It's $80 and super effective in getting your battery back to where it was when you bought them. In my case, they actually replaced the entire right earcup and the headband -- and I've read online several other people saying they were just handed a new (refurbished) pair.

 

[ignatius345]

Who do you think is the target market for 500 USD Apple headphones?

A lot of people, apparently, judging from how many pairs I see out in the wild these days. They're on the heads of young, fashion-forward types and just generally a younger demographic from what I see. Not necessarily "tech enthusiast" type people. I'm even seeing a ton of knockoffs in NYC, so they're clearly an aspirational purchase these days.

People going on about USB-C seem to forget that aside from the 15, every iPhone out in the world is charging with a lightning port, so it's not at all inconvenient for a lot of people to just use the same cord they're using to charge their phone.

 

[Razorpit]

Yeah count me out. Why would they not update to the H2 chip?

At this rate they should probably wait it out for the H3. It can't be that far off. 😉

 

[UltimateSyn]

You’d think after four years they’d be ready to at least give it feature parity with the rest of their headphone lineup.

 

[scrapesleon]

I hardly see them updating the tv till next year but them headphones need a refresh

 

[bookcase]

I won’t buy anything with a lightning port (or micro USB cable), so my wait for the Max continues.