Why Apple Isn't Making New AirPods Max Anytime Soon

[turbineseaplane]

This product really shows off Tim Cook Apple.

There is interest and demand here (I see these out and about all the time) and some super obvious and easy updates and tweaks they could do.

Yet the spreadsheet says "no", and it just languishes as is, overpriced and outdated more and more with each passing day.

Who wants this version of Apple?

This is so depressing to me.

 

[joshwithachance]

Because they're already one of the best selling, and sounding, headphones on the market. H2 would be nice, especially in terms of battery life, but I'm not personally clamoring for a new pair...

And the specific headphone market Apple is competing in, enthusiasts but not so much professionals, is EXTREMELY niche to begin with. On top of that, it's also an incredibly mature product category overall; as there's not much room left to innovate in this space.

What we really need is a new case and the ability to turn them off though.

 

[DMG35]

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.

Yeah, for sure the price is ridiculous but if you reach out to the actual B&O stores, they will absolutely cut you a deal. I got a brand new set tax free for $1400 during a promotion they were having. It was the B&O store in Boston. Overnight shipping was free. The headphones are the most luxurious and best sounding headphones I've ever worn.

The ANC is miles above what the H95's were. They are on par with the AirPods Max for sure. The transparency is also great. They also have a freaking power button which still bugs me that the APM do not have. The H100's leather is so nice and they are so comfortable to wear. If you can get them on a deal I highly recommend them.

 

[npmacuser5]

Quality products in the headset market are a niche market. I had my quality Bose Headset for 10 years. First the initial costs are significant. Secondly new technology slow to develop. Finally my needs were more then met with my Bose Headsets for ten years.

 

[ChrisA]

If you look around and see what headphones studio musicians and recording engineers wear, you see a few things (1) They don't pay even half the cost of Apple's AirPod Max, (2) they are much better quality and (3) the headphones used in the industry have not changed in decades.

Headphone technology was mature 40 years ago, and there is not much room for improvement. The best ones are already near perfect

Of course, there are consumer-facing models that sell for triple the price of the pro models that do come out in new colors and features, but this is just shiny new stuff for ignorant buyers.

Some products like toilets and socks and free weights at the gym just do not need to be updated every year.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Headphone technology was mature 40 years ago, and there is not much room for improvement. The best ones are already near perfect

The tech part is what's out of date on APMs

Totally different deal than all the wired stuff you're talking about that studio musicians and recording engineers wear.

 

[hinchesk]

So don’t “invest a ton of time and money into creating a new version” and just use the chips from the AirPods Pro.

Then if they get ambitious, copy a few Sony/Bose features.

If all they did was use current internals, made them a little lighter, and travel friendly (foldable and decent case), it’d be an easy recommendation for most Apple users wanting headphones.

 

[Onimusha370]

Very circular thinking at apple if this is the case. The reason they don’t sell more is because they’re very expensive compared to the competition and are outdated… if they actually updated it with the latest tech and got the price closer to £399 then they’d sell a ton more

 

[Student of Life]

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

This is such a huge misconception, Headphones are not a mature product at all.

Top headphones today need to compete and excel in more than just sound. You have Sound, ANC, Transparency, Microphone clarity for calls, Bluetooth range, Battery life, Lossless etc. These are all tons of subsections to headphones that leave a ton of room to innovate.

 

[CalMin]

Very circular thinking at apple if this is the case. The reason they don’t sell more is because they’re very expensive compared to the competition and are outdated… if they actually updated it with the latest tech and got the price closer to £399 then they’d sell a ton more

Completely agree. I’d push it further with foldable hinge and a carry case that’s usable, and they’d have a smash hit product.

I love my AirPod’s Max at home. They don’t quite work for air travel because the noise seal breaks when I lean against a head rest on a plane.

 

[tyrnnsrs]

Part of me wants a pair of these because of the ease of using them within the Apple ecosystem. But the price mainly, and the lack of updates are holding me back. They'd be a nice alternative to wearing Airpods all day at work.

 

[Strebor]

Well, until they release a new version, with all the capabilities of the Airpods Pro II and more, then I will not buy Airpods Max and stick with my Bose QC 35 II. They still do the job well enough. Also the Airpods Max case is a joke and they are too heavy and bulky as you can't fold them at all. The Bose QC 35 II beats the max on all those points by a mile.

 

[User 6502]

Apple was hoping for better sales. Since it underperformed, they don't want to waste more money in R&D on it.

Not sure why they were hoping to sell much with that extortionate price. I’m surprised they sold any at all.

 

[Fleuronique]

As a normal person who likes good sound these are perfect for me.
The audiophiles will always complain about some geeky thing that is missing, but those people buy headphones that cost twice as much regardless.

 

[AppliedVisual]

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.

This sums it up pretty well. They're definitely a successful product, but not high volume. Not everyone is going to spend that much on headphones. And this market segment is super saturated with options, which is good as that is helping to keep prices under control. As a longtime user of high-end and professional headphones, I find the AirPods Max to be rather good and they fit within the price range. Of course they do have some flaws I'd like to see addressed for future updates. But I've owned mine since about 6 months after they launched and have been happy with them, despite a few nagging flaws.

 

[turbineseaplane]

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.

Frequent?

They've had NO updates.

Port swapping to USB-C was basically mandated and probably helped Apple anyhow.
(keeping things simple across product lines with all USB-C)

 

[nutmac]

Apple is toooooo busy to update AirPods Max with (1) lighter materials (plastic is frankly fine), (2) new SoC, (3) all the latest software features the new SoC enables, and (4) less ridiculous case.

 

[jayb3]

I'm normally an AirPods Pro loyalist. But the AirPods Max went on sale recently and I went ahead and picked them up after a demo. These things are pretty incredible and sound amazing. I know I shouldn't buy Apple products in a late product cycle but I have no regrets on this purchase.

 

[hdolivera]

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.

That's right!. On my cars I use Bose. As little audiophile I use Harman audio on my house and bedroom for music with Klipsch speaker. But is for audio on parties or before sleep. Best!

 

[Vaga8ond]

AirPods Max fans hoping for a second-generation version of Apple's over-ear headphones shouldn't hold their breath, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman suggests Apple's wireless noise-canceling cans are stuck in commercial limbo – "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."

The reality check follows a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo earlier this year indicating AirPods Max 2 could enter mass production in 2027. Gurman's assessment paints an equally bleak picture (if not more so), claiming that Apple's audio team is more focused on annual AirPods updates and supporting audio components across other products. Apple is expected to release new AirPods Pro 3 this coming fall.

Apple's minimal commitment to the AirPods Max line became apparent last year when the company only updated the headphones with USB-C charging to comply with EU regulations, as well as some new color options. No other meaningful improvements were made.

It's already been nearly five years since the original AirPods Max launched in December 2020 – "a remarkably long time for an Apple product" to go without a real upgrade, Gurman notes.

Article Link: Why Apple Isn't Making New AirPods Max Anytime Soon

Too expensive and ugly for me. Wonder how well the Beats line is selling?

 

[nostaws]

I flew a few weekends ago. I was surprised at how many Pro Max headphones I saw (I’m a Bose quietcomfort person).

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.
Apple doesn’t update the APM because it’s a niche product anyway and it costs them nothing to keep selling what little stock they produce at the current price.
If they do update but keep the price the same, it’s just going to remain a niche product. If they update but drop the price, which has been the largest criticism against them, they’re just going to tick off those who bought in at the original price. Either way it’s a lose/lose for Apple vs just continuing to coast as they have been.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I flew a few weekends ago. I was surprised at how many Pro Max headphones I saw (I’m a Bose quietcomfort person).

I see them in my gym a fair bit, which I'll admit I find shocking given how heavy they are and how much they shift around on ones head is not perfectly upright/vertical.

 

[JTK Awesome]

Way too heavy and looked ridiculously dated the second they were released.

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.

I can’t say this enough - beyond Apple lock-in there is nothing appealing about APM.

The Bose 700 more closely matached Apple’s physical and aesthetic design. And they included a real case and all the cables you need, too.

Cheaper over-ears have the same or better sound.

And this last “upgrade” by Apple was lazy at best.

 

[turbineseaplane]

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.

I completely agree with you here.

 

[maxoakland]

Maybe they’d be more popular if they updated them