Every fall, Apple announces a new generation of iPhones. But other products get more casual updates: The AirPods Max, for example, were released in December 2020 and didn’t get an update until earlier this month. Still, at least Apple caught up and gave them a truly comprehensive update, bringing them up to date with the latest audio developments, right?
RIGHT?
Well. Look at it this way: a good hardware update fixes the problems of the previous model. (A revolutionary (A hardware update rethinks the entire product from the ground up, but we won’t set the bar that high just yet.) My example of a good hardware update is the powerful Apple Watch Series 2, which fixed the speed, battery life, water resistance, and lack of GPS issues that reviewers had noted with the original model. It didn’t reinvent the wheel, but it did make the ride a lot smoother.
So, do the AirPods Max 2024, available today for $549, live up to the Apple Watch Series 2? Do they offer fixes for the issues we highlighted in our review earlier in 2021? After all, Apple has had more than three and a half years to come up with a better solution. Let’s look at the evidence, starting with the issues that were apparent at launch.
Issue: The AirPods Max, while comfortable, are excessively heavy: 40 to 50 percent heavier than competing noise-canceling wireless earbuds.
Fix: None. It’s the same design.
Issue: Lack of breathability/waterproofing.
Fix: Again, none.
Issue: There is no 3.5mm headphone jack.
Fix: We still don’t have a 3.5mm port. The USB-C port is more versatile than the Lightning port, but based on Apple’s announcement, it seems to be intended only for charging, not music playback.
Issue: They still have a Lightning port.
Fix: AirPods Max now have USB-C.
Issue: The Smart Case is very poorly designed and offers almost no protection.
Fix: None. It’s the same thing!
Issue: The AirPods Max are too expensive for what you get.
Fix: The price remains the same in the United States. East a price drop in the UK however: from £549 to £499.
And what about the areas where Apple has made progress since 2020, leaving the AirPods Max behind? For example:
Issue: The AirPods Max, despite being Apple’s flagship earbuds, do not support its own lossless audio format, which was launched in 2021.
Fix: While the new models will support lossless technology, Apple is remaining tight-lipped about it.
Issue: The latest AirPods Pro (and even the $129 AirPods 4) get a more advanced H2 chip, which improves battery life and ANC performance and is necessary for Apple’s Adaptive Transparency mode. But the AirPods Max are stuck on the older H1 without any of the new features.
Fix: None. He still has the H1, it’s ridiculous.
Basically, nothing has been fixed. The AirPods Max are still as outdated as ever and are getting more so by the day.
The AirPods Max look new, but they’re very similar.
The AirPods Max look new, but they’re very similar.
Apple
The AirPods Max look new, but they’re very similar.
Apple
Apple
Minimum effort
Maybe I’m being unfair to the “new” AirPods Max. After all, Apple doesn’t label them with a 2nd-gen label or separate the 2024 edition from the 2020 edition in the “Compare Models” section of its website. As far as Apple is concerned, they’re the same product, just with USB-C and a few new colors.
But that’s the problem. Of all the products Apple has offered, this one was the one that needed a complete update the most. It needed to do what it did with the Apple Watch Series 2: acknowledge the errors and problems, and find a way to fix them, instead of leaving us with this disappointment. And the worst part is that since Apple has made an “update,” there is little chance that a real 2nd generation model will come out in the short to medium term.
The thing is, this behavior isn’t new for Apple. Apple has been phoning in updates that don’t work for years. The 3rd-generation iPhone SE, for example, was a similar disappointment because, as our review points out, it updated the only part that didn’t need it, ignored all the issues, and didn’t touch the physical design.
The iPhone SE received a similar treatment, with a minimal update that didn’t fix any of its predecessor’s issues.
The iPhone SE received a similar treatment, with a minimal update that didn’t fix any of its predecessor’s issues.
IDG
The iPhone SE received a similar treatment, with a minimal update that didn’t fix any of its predecessor’s issues.
IDG
IDG
The Mac Pro, meanwhile, is supposed to be at the top of its line, like the AirPods Max, but it actually has one of the most outdated specs in the Mac lineup because Apple doesn’t update its ultra-premium products often enough. The Mac Pro languished on four-year-old hardware (sound familiar?), and when Apple finally gave it an update, it didn’t change the design and installed chips that would quickly fall behind the company’s other machines. As my colleague points out, it seems symbolic that the lab shown in Apple’s Scary Fast video last year was running on Mac Studios, not Mac Pros.
Ultimately, it comes down to a recurring problem with Apple: In many areas, the company is so dominant that it doesn’t really compete with other companies, but with its own legacy products. When Apple launches a new Mac, a new phone, or a new headset, you know someone in marketing has put pressure on the engineers: Be careful not to push this too far, because you’ll have to do better next time. Sure, you can launch an amazing product and everyone will be happy at first. But you’re just setting yourself up for trouble down the road.
I mean, it’s not like customers are going to ignore the new AirPods Max and buy someone else’s over-ear headphones, right?
RIGHT?
