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Gurman: USB-C AirPods Max Not Coming Until 'Late 2024'
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Woof that would be a disappointment. I could be convinced to buy these if they had all the features of the pro 2 and more.
Eh I think if you made them with colors, made them up to par with AirPods Pro 2, fixed the case, dropped the price to $400-450 and called it a day they’d be good.
That's not my experience at all. I got easily fatigued when using the Sony, and I don't know why. I constantly got this feeling that I had to take them off. It's not about weight for me. The difference is so small I don't even notice it. I got a pretty big head.
Ya know, rather than complaining of Apple's lack of innovation, it's a free market. I felt the same way, but I just went shopping. And I found the Sony wh1000-mx4 Bluetooth headphones, after trying over the ear phones from Apple, Sony, Shure and Bose (all at ABT Electronics in Glenview, IL. Family owned, with an Apple Store inside). I chose the Sonys mainly because their noise-cancellation tech is the best of the bunch. But there's more! They fold flat and one earpiece folds in, and they fit in a small, portable included case, which has a USB-C to USB-A charger cable and airplane adapter included to use with the 3.5mm audio jack. They're much lighter and more comfortable than Apple's or Shure's, and comparable to the Bose. I can't tell the difference in sound quality between any of them. And there's more! They're only $249!
Yeah, the case is the only thing that's actually bad. But I never use it anyways.
Just a thought on future pricing…
AirPods: $99
AirPods Pro: $199
AirPods Max: $399
Each model is double the price of the last. I think this is a better pricing scheme.
AirPods: $99
AirPods Pro: $199
AirPods Max: $399
Each model is double the price of the last. I think this is a better pricing scheme.
AirPods Max can be seen everywhere in places like NYC and even on athletes and celebrities. It’s also a popular product on Tiktok. For most people thought it makes no sense to buy it Unless you have disposable income.
I know this is MacRUMORS, but I take anything these analysts say with a grain of salt. When Apple makes an official announcement of a new product (or when the holidays roll around), that’s when I look for deals and buy accordingly. You’ll be waiting forever and miss out on great deals if you wait around for these guys to tell you when they’re coming out!
He's likely going by when Apple has historically released new AirPods and when the EU deadline is for headphones to have a USB-C port, so this isn't anything that insightful on his part.
1st gen AirPods = announced Sep. 2016, released Dec. 2016
2nd gen AirPods = announced/released Mar. 2019
3rd gen AirPods = announced/released Oct. 2021
1st gen AirPods Pro = announced/released Oct. 2019
2nd gen AirPods Pro = announced/released Sep. 2022
2nd gen AirPods Pro with USB-C = announced/released Sep. 2023
AirPods Max = announced/released Dec. 2020
Who knows, maybe Apple will surprise everyone and announce/release updated AirPods Max tomorrow. They are overdue for an update when you look at how often (anywhere from between 2.25 to 3 years) we got a new generation of AirPods and AirPods Pro. We're approaching 3 years for the Max.
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If headphones are headphones, why pay $399 for Sony when there's way cheaper and lighter ones under $100?
I chose AirPods Max when my Sony broke down and died after two years.
And since I have a lot of Apple products they work seamlessly on all devices, no need to disconnect, re-pair and so on to go between Apple TV, macOS, iOS, iPad OS and so on. No more sound crackles, lost connections, and other small irritating problems I experienced using Sony with Apple products.
Also, no more fatigue for me because I can use AirPods Max for an entire day, but when I had Sony my ears hurt and they were all sweaty and stuff after 4 hours.
And I paid 7000 SEK / $630. 🤣
That would be extremely lazy by Apple. I‘m waiting on USB-C but will only buy if there is a real case included and the headphones get features present on other Airpods.
That‘s a good pricing model for consumers. But Tim will tell you it‘s not good enough for Apples margins.
As I’ve said before I have no idea who these are for. They’re like the HomePod’s ugly cousin. It seems like there was someone at Apple that wanted to make a premium set of headphones but were then hindered by upper management and so we got this.
Stop peddling his predictions, he has no idea what he’s talking about.
He didn’t even know about tommorrow’s event a week before it was announced, he has absolutely no credibility.
He didn’t even know about tommorrow’s event a week before it was announced, he has absolutely no credibility.
Come on, obviously there are differences in build quality, audio quality, etc. I was responding to a comment that not much has changed, featured-wise, from the Sony XM1 to XM5. All of these ANC headphones basically have a similar feature set. In that sense, headphones are headphones. It's not a product that allows for a lot of differentiation in terms of features. It's also not a product category with much opportunity for improvement, the way Apple has improved upon products in other categories. Headphones are headphones.
I'm not dissing AirPods Max other than the absurd price gouge. They're perfectly good headphones and they obviously work well with the Apple ecosystem. They're just stupid expensive compared to other offerings.
To each his or her own, right? Plenty of people find the AirPods Max uncomfortable and heavy. If you find them comfortable, great.
It's your money.
I’m going to start vomiting every time I see a post lead with “according to Mark Gurman.”
I still have a pair of Beats Solo I found in the garbage that's working, it's just they hurt my head when I wear them for too long. I was hoping the next rev of AirPods Max would be my upgrade because of how comfy they are. But if it's still gonna be outdated, looks like the next rev of the AirPods Pro will be my go to. Then again I am not that much of an audiophile to justify the purchase.
Yes, Apple could have refreshed the APM with the W2 within the past 12 months, but I expect it would not have convinced most APM Gen1 users to replace them nor suddenly made the APM a desirable purchase for people who had skipped Gen1 for less expensive and/or more convenient options.
So waiting until the W3 is ready will hopefully bring with that new chip benefits that will make it a compelling reason for current APM owners to consider spending that much money again (especially if we have to wait until 2025 for a W3 AirPods Pro).
Agreed. I bought APM last year when Amazon had them on a heavy discount because the price-value proposition finally made sense for me. Even when we do get the APM refresh next year and even if it does do wonders thanks to W3, I may very well just sit and wait for them to go on sale the following year or just wait for the W3 AirPods Pro to replace my W2 APP.
Maybe Apple will at least replace the stainless steel band with titanium to reduce weight. I don’t see Apple replacing the aluminum ear cups with plastic though, maybe because of durability, maybe because of “premium” feel. But maybe they could do something with the design to reduce the amount of aluminum used in order to make it lighter.
At this point, the new revision is not ready for primetime. Personally I don't really mind with the current spec if I am indeed in the market of looking for over the ear headphone. I think the most complains are the level of comfort, battery life, and may be the design of smart case. Gen 2 is always the model to look forward to.
My take is that since AirPod Pros are key to the new Vision product and the Max clearly won’t work with the VP, the focus will stay from the Max for awhile.
I'm open to Gurman being right. But I don't see how Apple could sell "new" H1 AirPods Max just because they're USB-C (if that's actually what he implied?).
3-4 years old tech is most certainly too outdated for consumers with $549 to spend on "new" but actually old AirPods Max.
Does not add up. USB-C on headphones is not a substantial sales-argument on its own.
I only see these happening if they also get a major price cut. Maybe USB-C + new selection of colors, and getting them down to $349-$449 because there's really nothing new? Maybe lighter weight, cheaper materials?
They could function as a sort of stopgap USB-C product to sell post EU regulations until the actual 2nd Gen. AirPods Max drop in 2025-2026? 🤷♂️
I think there could be something to this considering the numerous Lightning products still in Apple's current product line-up that soon can't legally be sold or will increasingly struggle to do so now that mainstream consumers are becoming aware that Lightning is rapidly being phased out by late 2024.
I think he's onto something, even if the details are blurry.
3-4 years old tech is most certainly too outdated for consumers with $549 to spend on "new" but actually old AirPods Max.
Does not add up. USB-C on headphones is not a substantial sales-argument on its own.
I only see these happening if they also get a major price cut. Maybe USB-C + new selection of colors, and getting them down to $349-$449 because there's really nothing new? Maybe lighter weight, cheaper materials?
They could function as a sort of stopgap USB-C product to sell post EU regulations until the actual 2nd Gen. AirPods Max drop in 2025-2026? 🤷♂️
I think there could be something to this considering the numerous Lightning products still in Apple's current product line-up that soon can't legally be sold or will increasingly struggle to do so now that mainstream consumers are becoming aware that Lightning is rapidly being phased out by late 2024.
I think he's onto something, even if the details are blurry.
