Why Apple Isn't Making New AirPods Max Anytime Soon

[KES3059A3]

I think Apple is pissed that people didn't love them due mostly to the weight and case, and they just abandoned it.

Apple, like all major corporations, doesn't have an emotional attachment to its products, unlike users. This is as true for Apple now as it was for Apple under Steve Jobs.

If a product is loved by users but doesn't make a ton of money, Apple doesn't put a lot of resources into advancing it (Apple TV users loved the first ATV, but Steve Jobs never made the device a priority for Apple because it didn't make the company a ton of money).

So, Apple never makes a decision about a product based on some kind of emotional stance, contrary to what many Apple fans allege. It would never spitefully hold back the development of a product because it is pissed that users didn't love the first one. It makes its decisions around product based on dollars, cents, and its assessment regarding whether a future refocusing on the product could bring considerable financial gains or not, and that's it.

 

[AlexESP]

I think Gurman is right in this case. Success is relative, you can’t measure it in number of absolute sales. Intuitively, based on what we can see on the streets, amount of knock-offs, etc., the AirPods Max seem to be quite a success. But as a high-end product, they will never be high-volume enough to make frequent updates worth it.

Given its market position, more frequent updates wouldn’t translate to significantly more sales. I would also like them to pay more attention to it, but I don’t mistake my wishes for what actually makes sense.

 

[puckhead193]

I bought the Max's when they were released. They're heavy and aren't really travel friendly. Sony and Bose have some fantastic products. Even some of their older models are great. I have an older Sony pair that I got on sale and they are great.

 

[Rradcircless]

So they can spend 10 years and 10 billion dollars on a failed Apple Car project and invest hundreds of millions of dollars into AI servers when they may or may not wind up forming a partnership with an established AI leader, and they can use R&D to develop robot iPads but GIVING THE AIRPODS MAX A H2 CHIP IS TOO BOTHERSOME? I think this is one of the examples where the easier a task is, the longer it gets put off.

 

[Student of Life]

Apple seems to do this. When they find themselves unable to cope with the class leaders, they just give up. Sony and Bose have pretty much sewn up the ANC overear market

But in this case when Apple entered the market they basically redefined ANC and swept the floor with it. Granted that was 5 years ago and Sony and Bose responded and are back in the top market while Apple did nothing except change the lighting port for a usb-c cable.

Apple and its plans for the Max make no sense. Even if one ignores sound quality which should be one of the main focus on headphones, there are other focuses they can address and thrive in. Better ANC, Better Transparency, Lossless, better battery life. It seems like there is no direction and that is unacceptable for a company this size. The AirPods Max should the Apple's sound Halo product, even if most people will buy the AirPods Pros.

 

[wanha]

I'm old enough to remember back when Apple was proud that the only person at Apple in charge of the P&L were the CEO and CFO, so that managers could focus on creating the best possible products

If the richest company in the world cannot "afford" to update and innovate their top of the line headphones for years on end, what are we even doing here anymore?

This is dramatically put, but Apple feels like it has gone from a company that honestly tried to create a dent in the universe to being a company trying to suck every last cent from the universe as its guiding principle

 

[Infuspeur]

May become a Beats product maybe?

 

[Rradcircless]

Yup. Said this same thing on another forum yesterday: you don’t see APM’s in airports, gyms or coffee shops anymore. It’s all variations of Sony’s WH series or Bose’s QC line, in fun new colors.

I've seen AirPods Max more and more these past couple years in Melbourne, Australia. I want to give those users nods of solidarity when I see them.

 

[Rradcircless]

This is dramatically put, but Apple feels like it has gone from a company that honestly tried to create a dent in the universe to being a company trying to suck every last cent from the universe as its guiding principle

Yes.

 

[Agent007]

I thought they looked well-built but I’ve read constant complaints about the headband stretching, the overall weight, the clamping force, and stories about condensation building up inside the aluminum earcups and shorting out components. I’ve also heard the hinges aren’t very robust. The price is outrages, the H1 chip outdated, and the case…an outhouse.

“Hurry - $529 while supplies last, pink/red eyesore model only. Free QR download code*

*DL Nicky Minaj’s Twerkmoji Gen pluginª for Genmoji
ª1TB iPhone 16 Pro Max only: Twerkmoji app is too bootylicious for small screens and too baller for 16 Plus peasants

 

[Orange Bat]

They aren’t a good value. Too many options that are better, AirPods Pro are phenomenal and cannibalize market but there are so many decent cans for half the price I can’t see how they were ever a product that made it to market.

This this and this.

At $549 they are nearly the price of a low end Mac Mini (The mini is cheaper on Amazon right now for $499). That’s a ludicrous price for a pair of consumer headphones.

 

[ksec]

too popular for Apple to stop selling them, and not popular enough for the company to invest a ton of time and money into creating a new version."

Popular? I think Sony is outselling them by 10:1, and Bose likely 5:1.

 

[ksec]

Apple is run by spreadsheets first, innovation second. They have done a tremendous job with AirPods. They are not willing to make that effort with over - ears and it is a shame. We no longer have Airport routers because of this mentality. Yet, imagine what they could have incorporated in such a device, and expanded to be so much more, (built in HomePod and TV as well as smart home stuff and device backups), if they actually had some vision at the top that doesn’t involve cells and grids on a digital math book.

They dont allow us to do devices backup because that would hinder their services revenue push for iCloud.

 

[BNBMS]

This is what happens due to lack of competitions and laziness in the headphones markets just like Sony and Boss did.

 

[benroberts3]

I used and loved my AirPod Max headphones for about five years. Sadly, the headband at the top was sagging so much that the headphones would slide too far down on my head, and the ear cups had lost their cushy-ness in order to properly seal out external noise for ample noise cancellation.

I know that you can buy replacement ear cups, but with the sagging headband, it made sense to purchase a new pair of headphones.

I ended up going with the Sonos Ace and couldn't be happier. I will admit that I do miss the immediate connectivity of the headphones across my Apple devices, but in terms of sound quality, design, and functionality, I'm very pleased with the Sonos headphones.

 

[DMG35]

Meh, I moved on from the AirPods Max a while ago. The B&O H100's destroy them in every way possible so it wasn't a hard decision to get rid of the Max's. Another product Apple has ignored and let the competition move past them.

 

[verniesgarden]

Headphones are also such a mature product that there really isn't much you can do to differentiate in the market. really no room to innovate either

 

[chelsel]

They really are quite popular at the gym. I think a lot has to do with the clear message of "leave me alone" that you don't get with AirPods. The Powerbeats could have been exactly what I need for the gym, visible enough to be left alone, but audio quality reviews have been terrible.

 

[iFunk]

I'll be ready for a set once they have the Apple Vision Pro integrated in somehow someway!

 

[Student of Life]

Meh, I moved on from the AirPods Max a while ago. The B&O H100's destroy them in every way possible so it wasn't a hard decision to get rid of the Max's. Another product Apple has ignored and let the competition move past them.

Dont get me wrong I love B&H but im not sure I want to spend 4 times the Max for the H100. How good is the ANC on the H100? I was thinking about the H95 but then they just decided to go crazy on the price.

 

[Apleeseed84]

This is completely ridiculous to think they don't have the resources to put the H2 chip in it at the very least and give it the same features as AirPods Pro.

I think Apple is pissed that people didn't love them due mostly to the weight and case, and they just abandoned it.

For the recored I love my AirPods Max, and if they updated the chipset so it gained new features I would upgrade, even if they don't change the case (although a lighter version would definitely be appreciated.

Nah for that price tag we can get better hi res headphones, they shot themselves in the foot going all wireless

 

[Casshan]

These and the Pro Display XDR are both in the category “Had I known they would go this long without an update, I would have bought them then, but now they are too old and I can’t justify it”.

 

[hdolivera]

I have AirPods 4 for my iPhone during walking, AirPods Pro 1 for watching TV movies and series and my beautiful AirPods Max to enjoy music at home or outside, but not walking. Best!

 

[hdolivera]

I have AirPods 4 for my iPhone during walking, AirPods Pro 1 for watching TV movies and series and my beautiful AirPods Max to enjoy music at home or outside, but not walking. Best!

And AirPods Max with USB cable for better music quality on special music, like classical or yoga type.

 

[citysnaps]

Not surprising.

It's a market with many players (Bose, Sony, Audio Technica, Koss, Grado, Bayerdynamic, Sennheiser, B&O, AKG, Garmin, Bowers and Wilkins, Meze, Audeze, Master and Dynamic, Stax, Jabra, Skullcandy, Focal, Montblanc, etc) with few opportunities for differentiation.