AirPods firmware updates shouldn’t be so frustrating. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
What’s in that firmware update for a couple of AirPods that came out Tuesday. Who the hell knows?!? Apple doesn’t announce updates for its truly wireless headphones — and won’t tell anyone what’s in them. It’s very frustrating.
Apple’s attempt at making AirPods firmware updates simple instead makes them way more complicated than necessary. Currently, they happen in the background, but what’s really needed is an “Update Now” button.
Pick up Apple’s most impressive AirPods headphones today to enjoy $100 — the biggest discount yet — off the usual price. AirPods Max are now available in select color options for just $449.
The discount won’t last long, so enjoy it while you can!
But only if you have AirPods Max or AirPods Pro. Photo: Apple
Apple upgraded AirPods Pro and AirPods Max on Tuesday to enable Find My tracking. It allows users to locate missing AirPods even when they’re not connected to another Apple device.
It's not the only iOS 15 feature we'll have to wait longer for. Photo: Apple
It seems Find My network support for AirPods Pro and AirPods Max won’t roll out with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 as originally planned. Apple says the feature, which can make lost headphones easier to find, will be available “later this fall.”
Once the Find My network is enabled for the high-end headphones, another iPhone, iPad or Mac owner in the vicinity of the lost item can can passively update your gear’s general location. The Find My network functionality makes the feature far my powerful by tapping the millions of Apple devices in use around the world.
Don’t leave your pricey AirPods Max lying around, waiting to be sat on, when you’re not using them. Pick up Laut’s aluminum Free Stand and give your headphones the perfect place to rest. It’s sturdy, stylish, and nicely priced.
Netflix has begun rolling out Spatial Audio support. This lets the streaming service offer a surround sound-like experience but without all the speakers. Currently, it requires AirPods Pro or AirPods Max but that’ll change soon.
And Netflix beat out Apple TV in offering the feature.
But only if you have AirPods Max or AirPods Pro. Photo: Apple
Hidden code in iOS 15 confirms AirPods Max and AirPods Pro will be tied to an Apple ID to enable Find My tracking. The upgrade will allow users to locate missing AirPods, even when they’re not connected to another Apple device.
Apple’s nifty and well-loved AirPods Max headphones are on sale for a full $100 off their $549 MSRP. Available from Adorama, all colors are available for just $449.
There’s better than usual sale on AirPods Pro. And AirPods 2, as well. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
AirPods are truly outstanding headphones, especially for iPhone users. They aren‘t cheap, though. But it’s Amazon’s annual Prime Day, and both AirPods and AirPods Pro are on sale for 25% below the regular price. That’s as much as $60 off.
And there are smaller savings on the recently released AirPods Max.
A desk with a metal frame and a bunch of clips and magnets help make a great setup. Photo: QasimZafaraYouTube@Reddit
Quasim Zafar’s neatly laid out computer setup serves as his filming area for YouTube product reviews, his general workstation using a 2020 M1 Mac mini and his Xbox Series S gaming station where he plays Call of Duty.
But that’s only incidental to what you’ll probably love about it and want for your own setup.
Conversation Boost in iOS 15 lets AirPods enhance the audio in face-to-face communication. Screenshot: Apple
iOS 15 will bring a range of improvements to AirPods. Apple’s wireless headphones will get easier to find, and they can fill in as hearing aids in noisy environments. And Apple plans another tweak or two as well.
A MacBook Pro and widescreen display setup has a secret weapon: a desktop whiteboard. Photo: TheCrunks@Reddit
If you look at enough computer setups, you get used to seeing the amazing technology that impresses people on social media sites. But then, sometimes the cool innovation, or let’s say killer retro-innovation, is just an unfamiliar form of whiteboard with dry-erase notes scribbled on it.
Redditor TheCrunks has an admirably capable but compact setup with plenty of tech to like.
A new house calls for a first-time home office with an ultrawide monitor and plenty of toys. Photo: StevenJ95
Redditor StevenJ95 recently moved from an apartment to a house, allowing him to have a new home office. For the first time. He’s got room enough in there for his MacBook Pro, his Samsung curved ultrawide monitor and even his Tesla Model S, Cybertruck and Supercharger.
OK, those last three are two diecast model cars and a cute little desktop Tesla charger for phones and such. But he does have a real Tesla Model 3 — which he sensibly parks elsewhere — as well as a lot of enthusiasm for the brand, judging by how he decorates his setup.
But you'll have to wait until 2022 to get your hands on them. Photo: Apple
Apple’s next-gen AirPods Pro will feature updated motion sensors for fitness tracking and arrive in 2022, according to a Bloomberg report Friday.
This would be in keeping with Apple’s increasing focus on the fitness and wellness field, both with Apple Watch and its Fitness+ subscription service. AirPods Pro made their debut in October 2019, and have not been updated since.
Perhaps AirPods will be able to play Apple Music’s new lossless option. Photo: Apple
There’s hope for AirPods users unhappy that the new Apple Music lossless option won’t work on their wireless headphones. Tipster Jon Prosser said on Wednesday that Apple will introduce a software update that will allow the earbuds to play lossless audio. Supposedly, AirPlay and Wi-Fi are just waiting to be enabled in AirPods.
AirPods Max have a lot to offer, but not the upcoming Apple Music lossless option. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
Apple Music fans who are super-excited about the just-announced lossless audio option should be aware that it won’t work with AirPods or HomePod. Not even the $549AirPods Max.
But Apple’s headphones and smart speaker do support Spatial Audio for songs mixed in Dolby Atmos, another new feature of Apple Music.
The quick and simply way to toggle noise cancellation and Transparency. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
We want to help you master Control Center, one of the most powerful and underutilized features on Apple devices. Cult of Mac’sControl Center Pro Tips series will show you how to make the most of this useful toolbox on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.
Switching between different AirPods audio modes is simple with Control Center on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. You can activate or deactivate Transparency and active noise cancellation in just a couple of taps.
Make it easier to hear other people in a crowded room. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
We want to help you master Control Center, one of the most powerful and underutilized features on Apple devices. Cult of Mac’sControl Center Pro Tips series will show you how to make the most of this useful toolbox on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.
Activate Live Listen for AirPods and Powerbeats headphones inside Control Center to make it easier to hear other people in a noisy environment. The feature is built into iPhone and iPad and easy to use.
Do you really need both a MacBook and an iPad? Of course you do. Don't ask silly questions. Photo: BasicAppleGuy@Reddit
The setup showcased in a recent Reddit post consists of just a MacBook Air, an iPad, an iPhone and some peripherals and accessories, but it brings up a puzzling conundrum: Should you use both a MacBook and an iPad, even though their functionality overlaps to a great extent?
According to most of the comments, the answer is yes — even if it makes you feel like a sucker.
Max Stand seems like something Apple should have thought of itself. Photo: Floating Pixels
AirPods Max offers many premium features, but not wireless charging. A small German design studio dreamed up a fix. The Max Stand from Floating Pixels not only holds Apple’s new over-the-ears headphones upright, it also adds wireless charging.
Get your AirPods Max working normally again. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Are your AirPods Max malfunctioning? Most problems can be fixed with a simple reboot or reset. We’ll show you the steps you need to follow when your pricey headphones start acting up.
They don’t sell well — at least not well enough to keep Apple interested, apparently — and it’s not fair to consumers who shell out big bucks, then get stuck with a product that vanishes after just one generation.
Yes, Apple says it will continue to support the full-size HomePod with software updates, even as it refocuses on the $99 HomePod mini. But the old-school HomePod is a dead-end product.
You can read the HomePod debacle as an admission of failure regarding Apple’s framing of the device as a smart speaker rather than high-end audio gear. But it’s more than that. It’s an illustration of Apple’s faltering strategy of creating premium products for niche corners of the market.
An AirPods Max firmware update is now available. Here’s hoping it fixes a bad bug. Photo: iFixit
Apple’s over-the-ears headphones got a firmware update on Tuesday. It’s not clear what’s in the new software for AirPods Max because Apple never discloses that detail, but many users are hoping it’s a fix for an irritating power drain.