AirPods Max - page 4

Netflix gets more immersive with Spatial Audio support

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Spatial audio for Apple TV in tvOS 15
Netflix beats Apple TV to the punch.
Photo: Apple

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.

Get an amazing 25% off AirPods and AirPods Pro for Prime Day

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AirPods Pro are so popular Apple is struggling to keep up with demand
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.

You, too, can achieve pleasing symmetry and soft lighting [Setups]

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A desk with a metal frame and a bunch or clips and magnets help make a great setup.
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.

Amazing retro-innovation draws adulation [Setups]

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A MacBook Pro and widescreen display setup has a secret weapon: a desktop whiteboard.
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.

New house with Tesla, new home office with Tesla toys [Setups]

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A new house calls for a first-time home office with an ultrawide monitor and plenty of toys.
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.

Next-gen AirPods Pro will boast fitness-tracking motion sensors, possible redesign

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AirPods Pro with black background discounts
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.

AirPods might offer lossless Apple Music after software update

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AirPods Max are available to order for $549.
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, HomePod lose out on Apple Music lossless audio streaming [Updated]

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AirPods Max connected to iPhone
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 $549 AirPods Max.

But Apple’s headphones and smart speaker do support Spatial Audio for songs mixed in Dolby Atmos, another new feature of Apple Music.

Switch between AirPods audio modes in Control Center [Pro tip]

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Switch AirPods audio modes in Control Center
The quick and simply way to toggle noise cancellation and Transparency.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Control Center Pro Tips WeekWe want to help you master Control Center, one of the most powerful and underutilized features on Apple devices. Cult of Mac’s Control 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.

We’ll show you how.

Activate Live Listen for AirPods inside Control Center [Pro tip]

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Activate Live Listen Control Center
Make it easier to hear other people in a crowded room.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Control Center Pro Tips WeekWe want to help you master Control Center, one of the most powerful and underutilized features on Apple devices. Cult of Mac’s Control 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.

We’ll show you how.

Should you use both a MacBook and an iPad? Well, duh. [Setups]

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Do you really need both a MacBook and an iPad? Of course you do. Don't ask silly questions.
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.

Wireless charging stand fixes AirPods Max’s biggest flaw

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Fix a glaring limitation of AirPods Max with the Max Stand
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.

HomePod failure shows Apple should quit making pricey niche products

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homepod
Watch out, AirPods Max! You might be next.
Photo: Apple

After throwing in the towel on the original HomePod after just three years, Apple should stop releasing pricey, niche products.

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.

Simple setup forgoes speakers, rocks Palm Vx as desk clock [Setups]

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AirPods Max and Pro stand in for speakers in this setup, which uses a Palm Vx as a desk clock.
AirPods Max and Pro stand in for speakers in this setup, which uses a Palm Vx as a desk clock.
Photo: Singulaffect @ Reddit

Redditor Singulaffect stirred up a swarm of comments recently when posting a MacBook Pro-based setup featuring an LG 21-inch 4K display but no speakers — and two sets of AirPods. But what really stole the show was a Palm Vx from 1999.

AirPods Max teardown finds mystery chips, screwy screws and impressive engineering

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iFixit AirPods Max teardown finds much to like
An AirPods Max Teardown wouldn’t be complete without an X-ray of Apple’s new over-the-ears headphones.
Photo: iFixit

iFixit took a deep dive into AirPods Max, fully disassembling Apple’s over-the-ear headphones. What they found in the teardown was a startling number of different types of screws. But also a craftsmanship that helps justify the hefty price tag.

Is this the future of Macs? [Cult of Mac Magazine 383]

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This augmented-reality Mac concept goes full Minority Report.
This augmented-reality Mac concept goes full Minority Report.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

An augmented reality Mac powered by Apple glasses offers a glimpse of what computing might look like in the future.

Yes, it’s just a concept. But man, is it gorgeously detailed. We talked with concept designer Dominik Hofacker about his fascinating concept, and you can read all about it in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it now to read on your iOS device, or get the links below.

We’ve also got the latest news and rumors on the the long-rumored Apple Car and AirTags (not to mention those Apple AR glasses that Hofacker is talking about). Plus, we’ve got how-tos and reviews (including a second take on AirPods Max and a look at the second anachronistic season of Dickinson on Apple TV+).

4 useful things you can do with the Digital Crown on AirPods Max

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How to use the Digital Crown on AirPods Max
That little button does a lot more than you might think.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

AirPods Max are only the second Apple device to adopt Apple Watch’s brilliant Digital Crown. And you might be surprised by just how powerful that little button can be, from adjusting volume to controlling playback.

Here are four useful things you can do with the Digital Crown on AirPods Max.

5 ways AirPods Max let me down

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AirPods Max playing music on Spotify
AirPods Max are great for lots of genres of music, or for watching video content, but...
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

I love the idea of good-sounding, comfortable, high-quality headphones. And Apple’s new AirPods Max definitely check those boxes.

They offer great sound and they’re super-comfortable to wear, even for longer periods of time. On top of that, they pack all the things that make AirPods magical in a very premium package.

But even with those awesome features, AirPods Max aren’t for everyone, and that includes me. As much as I’ve loved my AirPods and AirPods Pro, these kind of let me down.