Apple announced the original AirPods on September 7, 2016, and for the past four years, this device has been one of the most beloved Apple products. If you use AirPods, you know why. It essentially weighs nothing, it sounds great, and it doesn’t get in your way when you are enjoying music, listening to a podcast, watching a movie, talking on the phone, etc. A year ago, Apple introduced the AirPods Pro, adding noise cancellation. At $250, the AirPods Pro is more expensive than any other headphone that I have ever used, but it works great. And during the pandemic this year, I have appreciated my AirPods Pro even more. The noise cancellation is great when you are stuck at home with other family members and want to tune out some of the surrounding noise, and they also work great on a videoconference. I even use them in my office, connected to my PC, when I am using Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
Yesterday, Apple introduced the latest member of the AirPods family: the AirPods Max. At a cost of $550, the price seems too steep for me, but I have no doubt that many folks will love this new product. It takes everything that you love about the AirPods and AirPods Pro, and puts them in an over-ear design.
Traditionally, over-ear headphones are known for providing even better sound and noise cancellation, so I assume that will be true with these as well. Apple believes that they do, stating: “AirPods Max use Adaptive EQ to adjust the sound to the fit and seal of the ear cushions by measuring the sound signal delivered to a user and adjusting the low and mid-frequencies in real time — bringing rich audio that captures every detail.” Traditionally, many people find over-ear headphones far more comfortable than in-ear headphones. We’ll have to wait for the first hands-on reviews to see if these traditional features exist on the AirPods Max, but I suspect that they will.
AirPods Max comes with virtually all of the features that people love in the AirPods Pro. They are wireless Bluetooth headphones that add all of the special Apple features, such as easy pairing to devices, fast switching between multiple devices, and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking (which makes it seem like sounds come from a specific direction). They also feature both noise cancellation mode and transparency mode. But of course, they add many new features.
Transparency mode is a great way to hear the outside world even though you are using AirPods Pro, and you can trigger this mode by squeezing on a stem for about a second. On AirPods Max, it is even easier to switch in and out of transparency mode by tapping a button.
With AirPods Pro, you can quickly squeeze a stem once, twice, or three times to do things like play/pause, fast-forward, or reverse. On AirPods Max, Apple has added a Digital Crown — similar to what is on the side of an Apple Watch — that can do all of this, plus you can turn the crown to adjust the volume, plus you can press and hold the crown to activate Siri.
AirPods Pro has a microphone on each stem and an inward-facing microphone. AirPods Max has nine microphones.
With AirPods Pro, you can use a small, medium, or large silicone tip to adjust the fit. With AirPods Max, you can move each ear cup around, extend the headband, and bend the mesh headband to get a good fit on your head. And the ear cushions attach magnetically and can be replaced.
AirPods Pro can last about four hours straight before needing to be charged, and you charge them by putting them in a case. Apple says that AirPods Max last 20 hours between charging (which you do via a Lightning-to-USB-C connector, like a modern iPhone). You can charge AirPods Max for five minutes to get another 90 minutes of use, according to Jason Snell. And when you are not using AirPods Max, you can put it in the included Smart Case, which starts a low power mode to extend battery life even more.
AirPods Pro comes in one color: white. AirPods Max comes in Space Gray, Silver, Green, Sky Blue, and Pink — very similar to the colors available for the new iPad Air. And because you can buy replacement ear cushions in those same colors, this would seem to give you the ability to mix-and-match colors.
Although this is a wireless headphone, you can plug in to an audio source if you want. To do so, you need to use a Lightning-to-headphone jack cord.
Apple released a video that does a great job of describing the AirPods Max:
Although this looks like a great, albeit expensive, gift for the holidays, you’ll find it incredibly difficult to find one in time to put it under a Christmas tree on the morning of December 25. You can pre-order them now from Apple, and technically they go on sale on Tuesday, December 15, but as I am typing this the Apple website says that delivery is now up to 12-14 weeks. However, you may be able to find them in a physical Apple Store starting December 15. And at least right now, if you decide to get them engraved, the Apple website says that they are available Dec. 30 to Jan. 7. (No, I don’t understand how getting engraving would make them available more quickly.)
I doubt that I will ever purchase an AirPods Max because the price would be hard to justify, although I reserve the right to lust after this new device. But I love that Apple is continuing to expand the AirPods family.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who yelped at the $550 price tag. About six months before the pandemic, I bought a set of the $400 Bose noise-canceling headphones in anticipation of a few airline trips in 2020. I was able to justify the price because those airline trips included a couple of international trips that my wife would go on. I figured having a set she could use to block out noise on the flights (and in busy airports) would be a good thing. Of course, 2020 travel didn’t go as planned, but the Bose headphones still get plenty of use. Would I have paid $550 for them? That’s where I can’t say one way or the other. But having one set of expensive noise-canceling headphones will make it hard for customers to justify springing for a second set of even more expensive cans.
Thanks for a great overview of the new product!