One more thing… Apple wasn’t quite done in 2020. The Cupertino tech giant has unveiled the AirPods Max, offering active noise cancellation with an over-ear design for the lofty price of $549. It will be available for purchase from the 15th of December.
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Rumoured for months, it was expected they would be called the AirPods Studio, but Apple decided to stick with their current naming conventions. They will be available in five colours, namely space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink. Apple says the AirPods Max has a “custom acoustic design” with a 40mm driver system “that provides rich, deep bass, accurate mid-ranges, and crisp, clean high-frequency extension so every note can be heard.”
This is the first time that Apple has moved into the premium over-ear headphones industry, of course, and step into a very competitive arena with the likes of Sony, Sennheiser, AKG, Bowers and Wilkins, and Bose. These companies have years of experience with noise cancellation technology and most offer similar products at lower prices (the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are still the best in the game). Apple is hoping the AirPods name will pull them through in a competitive market.
The AirPods Max have many features ported straight from the other AirPods models. It has the same adaptive EQ, transparency mode, spatial audio, audio sharing, and hands-free Siri voice commands. In terms of controls, it utilises the same digital crown from the Apple Watch, which the company says “offers precise volume control and the ability to play or pause audio, skip tracks, answer or end phone calls, and activate Siri.”
While this is the first set of headphones with an Apple logo on it, they also own Beats, which offer similar products for a significantly different clientele. They sell high-end devices like the Solo Pro and Studio 3 Wireless, which also has active noise cancellation. There has been good take-up from Android users in the Beats ecosystem, meaning Apple can now offer the most premium product to their current customers and the Beats to the rest.
