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Kuo: New AirPods Max and $99 AirPods to Launch as Early as Next Year

AirPods Lite, AirPods, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max... yeah this won't confuse consumers lol

Also, if you release a touch screen Mac then you kill the iPad Pro.
 
Ghost31 said:
Give me AirPods Max with wireless charging. Let me stick my MagSafe up to one of the ear cups and I’ll be happy as a clam.
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That's actually not a bad idea.. They have all that surface area on the cups to work with. I could picture some really nice 3rd party stands where you can just slap the headphones on.
 
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Why doesn't the article say "more affordable AirPods Max"? And why does it take Apple years to come out with next-Gen products? I couldn't care less about something that may or may not come out in 2025.
 
Michael Scrip said:
You can already find the existing AirPods 2 for $99 right now. Their regular price is $129.

Who is taking the hit on those? Apple? Or Best Buy, Amazon, etc?

And what would Apple have to remove to make a new set of $99 regular price AirPods?

🤔
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I think that's Apple's way of putting things on sale... They take the hit and it looks like 3rd party retailers are having the sale while Apple always maintains full price in their own stores to keep a certain perception of their products.
 
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Danoc said:
USB-C?

At this point, I can't buy anything lightening in 2023.
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I have never seen people so committed to a protocol before. I mean USBC is fine (except for a fragile garbage tongue design) but it’s just another standard that will be replaced by something else in time. I still buy devices that have micro USB and that is atrocious.
 
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From all the rumors, it sounds like 2023 is going to pretty lame for Apple and definitely not a good time to buy their products if you can hold out for another year.
 
sdwaltz said:
Garbage product…have you ever used AirPods Max?

Single-best headphone experience I’ve ever had.
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I don't think they are garbage, but I do believe they are overpriced, because they have the Apple logo. There are a TON of headphones out there that sound just as good (or better) for less, only thing they are missing is the H1 chip. I feel people that purchase these as their first set of serious headphones are much like people that buy an Apple Watch for the first time, beforehand they wouldn't even consider spending +$400 on a watch, but Apple does such an amazing job of adding functionality and marketing it, people don't think twice.
 
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riverfreak said:
Most people over the age of about 30 can’t distinguish lossless from lossy encoding.

And given the volume of the world we live in and the ubiquity of loud headphone use from a wee age, I suspect even greater hearing loss at even earlier ages.

It’s sad. But enjoy it! You earned it with all your carefull listening to lossless recordings!
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Eh, I'm 50, hearing is a bit off and am probably an amateur audiophile. I can tell a difference, especially if it's albums I've listened to countless times. Lossless (or vinyl) with a good set of headphones and I hear subtle things I've never heard before.
 
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jsalda said:
I don't think they are garbage, but I do believe they are overpriced, because they have the Apple logo. There are a TON of headphones out there that sound just as good (or better) for less, only thing they are missing is the H1 chip. I feel people that purchase these as their first set of serious headphones are much like people that buy an Apple Watch for the first time, beforehand they wouldn't even consider spending +$400 on a watch, but Apple does such an amazing job of adding functionality and marketing it, people don't think twice.
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jsalda said:
Eh, I'm 50, hearing is a bit off and am probably an amateur audiophile. I can tell a difference, especially if it's albums I've listened to countless times. Lossless (or vinyl) with a good set of headphones and I hear subtle things I've never heard before.
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Brilliantly said. :)
 
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Ethosik said:
I use a bit of laundry detergent to make some soap water. I don’t use too much. I clean it for about three days. I also have two pairs of ear cushions so I can rotate. Been doing this since day one that the AirPods Max were available.
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Unless you want to go days without listening, that second pair of ear cushions is essential, if costly. But yes, a few drops of laundry detergent or dish soap in a cup of warm water, wipe the cushions down with a soft cloth dipped in the soapy water until the worst of the smell is gone, and then let them dry for a few days on a window sill or someplace warm to get the last of the smell out. Then put them in the box and wait until the current pair start to get offensive and repeat.
 
I can only see old Airpods going for that price, Apple doesn't develop new cheap products, they recycle old ones and position them as entry-level models.
 
Does anyone remember when apple used to update products every year? I feel like things have been slipping for a long time but it really is getting ridiculous now. I get that products mature over time, but a 4.5 year wait between AirPods max releases is just absurd - as is the fact that we still have so many Macs still on M1 chips which are now based on 2.5 year old hardware. Feels like apple are more concerned with timing product releases to fit with quarterly financial targets than they are with keeping products up to date with the latest features.

Even just a colour refresh for the Max and a $50 price drop in 2022 would have at least kept things fresh - and I still don't know why they couldn't update the Max line with the features of the AirPods Pro 2... What are we paying $549 for?

:(
 
I know I raved about my AirPods Max, buying them soon after they are released. I still like them, but Apple really needs to step it up with a new "high end" headphone. Soon.

Currently I am also using Bowers & Wilkins Px8, and Master & Dynamics MW75. Sound quality wise the Px8 and the MW75 really have better sound quality, with equal build quality to the AirPods Max. Note, the AirPods Max certainly plays well with Apple devices, and IMHO sound better than the aforementioned headphones while viewing movies via AppleTV. But, straight up listening to music the Px8 and the MW75 have higher quality sound.

Yes, the Px8 and the MW75 cost at least $200.00 more, and the discounted pricing of the AirPods Max make it difficult to leave the Apple "walled garden". But if you are currently looking for the best sound in BT headphones some non-Apple brands can offer better sound.

So that is the challenge Apple. Improve the sound quality (lossless pretty please), keep the build quality, and maybe, just maybe keep the cost reasonable within in the realm of high end BT headphones.

Certainly one can argue that Apple doesn't really want to compete in "high end" BT headphone market. If so, so be it. It is nice to have choices.
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