Apple’s fancy AirPods Max headphones officially go on sale today, meaning that if you were lucky (or just organized) enough to have ordered them online right away, they should be winging their way to your home as you read this.
They are also available to buy in Apple Stores, although don’t expect plentiful supplies.
Apple’s new over-the-ear headphones are kind of over the top. From the high-end design to the sky-high price tag, AirPods Max certainly made quite a splash this week.
They sold out almost immediately after Tuesday’s unveiling. And that weird AirPods Max case got mercilessly mocked online, as people compared it to a bra and a sleep mask, among other things.
It’s not all AirPods Max this week, though: Apple TV+ started streaming Wolfwalkers, which our reviewer called the “best animated film of the year.” Plus, Apple’s mysterious self-driving car project raced back into the rumor fast lane.
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It’s way too early to have a sense of how many units Apple will sell of its newly announced AirPods Max headphones. But according to a rumor from Digitimes, two of the manufacturers involved with production are “not expecting much” from the “niche” product.
The report cites sources from Compaq Manufacturing and Unitech, two companies reportedly making printed circuit boards for the new headphones. Unsurprisingly, both firms declined to give official responses with their verdicts.
The “first impressions” reviews of the AirPods Max are out, and, well, they’re pretty darn good.
From the high-quality sound to the stainless steel and other luxury materials to the neat use of magnets to connect the ear pads, the consensus is that the AirPods Max are a premium product in (almost) every way.
As for that wallet-damaging $549 price tag? “Judging from materials execution alone, the AirPod Max feels like it should be more expensive if anything,” says TechCrunch‘s Matthew Panzarino. Check out some of the other initial thoughts below.
It’s still possible to get AirPods Max in time for Christmas — if you hurry up and order them soon. Some retailers are offering the silver and space gray models with shipping by December 15.
Here’s where you can bag yours.
Apple’s U1 chip, allowing for devices to more accurately connect to others nearby using ultra-wideband technology, is MIA in Apple’s pricey new $549 AirPods Max headphones.
The chip, which Apple introduced in 2019 with the iPhone 11, was rumored to show up in the AirPods Max. But according to a tweet by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple had to scrap a number of big features it planned to include in the high-end headphones it launched Tuesday.
The AirPods Max headphones may have only been announced this week, but Apple’s been working on them since the first-gen AirPods shipped back in 2016.
This interesting tidbit comes from a (now deleted) tweet from Dinesh Dave, currently a product designer at Facebook, but previously a Senior Interactive Designer at Apple. While no-one expects hit products to be created overnight, it gives a sense of how far out Apple’s working in its product roadmap.
Those with very deep pockets can make their AirPods Max colors even more personalized. Ear cushions for the headphones are replaceable and come in a variety of hues. They sure aren‘t cheap, though.
But save some money for a charger, because there’s no power adapter in the box.
After Apple unveiled AirPods Max this morning, the internet jumped quickly into mockery mode. The pricey over-the-ears headphones come with a case that lots of jokesters think looks like a bra.
And that’s just the start.
If you wanted AirPods Max in blue, pink or green, it looks like you’ll be waiting till well into 2021. Order one of the three hottest colors of the pricey new over-the-ear headphones now, and they won’t be delivered for 12 to 14 weeks, according to Apple’s online store.
Those shipping times slipped quickly after Apple launched the high-end headphones via press release early Tuesday morning. By late morning West Coast time, space gray AirPods Max delivery times had slipped as well — to December 31. Only the silver option still showed as being available for delivery prior to Christmas.
Act fast, and you can get them between December 15 and 17. But adding custom engraving pushes the delivery date to December 29 for that model. (Update 2: By midafternoon West Coast time on Tuesday, even the silver AirPods Max delivery window had slipped to December 31 – January 8.)
Apple expanded its popular AirPods lineup Tuesday, unveiling a new over-the-ear model dubbed AirPods Max.
The high-end headphones promise to deliver “the magic of AirPods” in an all-new design. They boast high-fidelity, spatial audio and active noise cancellation like AirPods Pro. And they come in five colors. They’re available to order today, priced at $549.