iFixit AirPods Max 2 Teardown: Same Design, Same Repairability Issues

[MacRumors]

Repair site iFixit today shared a teardown of Apple's new AirPods Max 2 headphones, and as expected, there are few changes. iFixit says the AirPods Max 2 are "basically the same" as the original AirPods Max headphones that came out in 2020.

A comparison of the internal components of the AirPods Max 2 and the USB-C AirPods Max indicate the headphones are identical, and opening them up requires the same steps. The only difference is the updated H2 chips inside each earcup.

Apple hasn't addressed the common failure points in the AirPods Max, such as condensation that builds up in the earcups in humid environments, and Apple doesn't have parts or repair manuals available.

iFixit suggests that if Apple made instructions and components available through its self-service repair program and made the battery and USB-C port more accessible, the AirPods Max would be repairable and could have a much longer lifespan.

With no updates to the AirPods Max 2 design, the headphones are no more repairable than the prior-generation models. iFixit gave the prior version a repairability score of 6/10.

Article Link: iFixit AirPods Max 2 Teardown: Same Design, Same Repairability Issues

 

[jbachandouris]

Well, the H2 didn’t make much of a difference in range. My Beats Studio Pro makes it to the bathroom on the opposite side of the house without cutting off at all.

The Max’s still struggle with the same exact difference. Stay connected better but not better than Studio. Still cutting out.

Might be going back. We’ll see.

 

[F23]

They didn't fix the flex cable flaw that eventually kills every pair. Wow.... Tim needs to go. This is genuinely pathetic.

 

[goobot]

Apple doesn’t sell enough of these to care, absolute minimum effort

 

[Doomtomb]

Hey these have gotten a lot cheaper since 2020 thanks to inflation

 

[FattiesGoneWild]

They don’t have to fix anything because people will just buy it. Fact!

 

[Veinticinco]

AirPods Max 2? They’re barely 1.1.

 

[Hogswarts]

Max 2 don't support Hearing Assistance. Very bummed.

 

[spamabyss]

I always found them ridiculously priced and didn't like the design all that much. Then I made the mistake to try them in store and to my ears they just sound so much better than the other ones I tried and owned, including Bose 700 and Sony WH1000XM3. And non of their newer models sounded as good to me when I tried them as the Airpod Max do. Which is a bit of a pity because now there's a very expensive set of headphones on my list that absolutely wasn't on my radar before. Even more of a pity that they didn't at least fix some of the design flaws these seem to have.

 

[TapDatApp]

Even if this product didn’t have such a notable failure issue (condensation), 5 years is a ridiculously long time to collect heaps of repair data from Apple Stores and AppleCare and then just… do nothing with it? Sad.

 

[RMMediccc]

Max 2 don't support Hearing Assistance. Very bummed.

Yet. It will likely be an update OTA.

 

[jsavvy]

Are we surprised by this info?

 

[kirk.vino]

I still can’t believe that after all these years they didn’t even bother tweaking a single thing design wise. I got the original version when they launched, but I haven’t even touched them once since I got my AirPods Pro 2. The Max are so uncountable to wear for more than 45 mins and that mesh has all stretched out that it provides zero support now. I like their sound profile, but comfort is a strange notion for these.

 

[Alfonson]

They don’t have to fix anything because people will just buy it. Fact!

When someone ends something with “fact!” You know it’s not a fact at all

 

[warpdrive]

Apple doesn’t sell enough of these to care, absolute minimum effort

Apple Hardware engineering employee: "We're at the pub, but I forgot that the deadline for the Max are due today. Let me think about it for 5 minutes before we get our food and I'll send the final specs right over"

 

[nickbatz]

Both my and my daughter's AirPod Max had the same total failure requiring a $200 repair (they just replace the right cup). Anecdotally, the people at the Apple Store told us they get them in all the time for the same thing, sometimes when they're almost new and sometimes when they're four years old.

I like the headphones very much for their intended purpose - meaning for applications that don't require the kind of accuracy you need for music studio use - and was willing to pay a lot for them. But headphones this expensive need to be built better.

This is totally out of character for Apple products. I've bought about 25 Macs over the years, and only had one failure, which was covered under warranty (a PowerMac G5 with leaky coolant). The only other failures were AirPort routers, which had a maximum 4-year lifespan.

 

[F23]

Even if this product didn’t have such a notable failure issue (condensation), 5 years is a ridiculously long time to collect heaps of repair data from Apple Stores and AppleCare and then just… do nothing with it? Sad.

reminds of flex gate with the MacBook screens & the butterfly keyboard. really sad

 

[Spec360]

They didn't fix the flex cable flaw that eventually kills every pair. Wow.... Tim needs to go. This is genuinely pathetic.

They usually make1 & 2 same time so give them a break lol

 

[AppleMega]

I picked up my pair in 2020 at the Apple Store in the meat of the pandemic. When I got them home I was like, these are definitely worth $550. I still stand by that. They were a bright spot in a dark time. Then they released the USB-C version which was basically exactly the same. I did not "upgrade." Now nearly six years later, they are still exactly the same. Yes, yes. Upgraded chip. I have the AirPods Pro 3, so I have experienced the newer chip. I do not regret the original purchase, but my 2020s are gathering dust.

Now let's wait and see. The H3 chip has gotta come out in the next year or so in the Pros. How long before (if ever) will the Max get the H3. And will they still be using the same spare parts with no change beyond the chip. Anyway, not getting this version either.

 

[Analog Kid]

Same tired iFixIt content

 

[GermanSuplex]

Disappointing upgrade. I’ve had my original pair for a few years and will not be upgrading. Which is good that they have lifespan (I only listen to them at home, no condensation issues). But I did expect a better upgrade after several years. The case and sleep issue is by far my biggest issue. Just give me a way to put them to lower-power sleep without putting them in that stupid case or being tethered to power all the time.

 

[Remy149]

They didn't fix the flex cable flaw that eventually kills every pair. Wow.... Tim needs to go. This is genuinely pathetic.

I owned my gen 1 for 6 years before I upgraded this week so whatever you are complaining about doesn’t happen to every pair

 

[Remy149]

Even if this product didn’t have such a notable failure issue (condensation), 5 years is a ridiculously long time to collect heaps of repair data from Apple Stores and AppleCare and then just… do nothing with it? Sad.

Which shows that there hasn’t been a widespread problem just a very loud vocal minority online community complaining. I had gen 1 for 6 years and only upgraded by choice. A coworker bought my old ones for $200

 

[spillled typos]

it doesn't have to be humid for condensation to build up in the ear cups, it just has to be placed on any living creature for it to do that

 

[Solver]

Looking forward to the AirPods Max Neo