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Mine are collecting dust. The improvement in sound quality in AirPods Pro from v1 to v2 was substantial. My AirPods Pro 2 are always in my pocket, so they are my headphones of choice.
 
excellent battery life and amazing how it connects to everything apple i use.
the sound quality is ok for my taste, the device is a bit heavy to wear for multiple hours - but that's likely comes from the materials used. and i'm fine with the lightning connector.
they were expensive, but premium headphones are all expensive, and none of them offers this seamless bluetooth connecting experience.
 
And still get bested by Sony and Bose in every way (except build quality). I am amazed people still buy these for such a premium over the better offerings. Really shows the power of the Apple brand (and sheepiness).
Bose sounds like ass to me. I’ve never liked their stuff. I consider them the dell of audio: popular because a lot of commercials.
 
Never liked them. Uncomfortable and not as good as my Sony imho and given how great the AirPods Pro sound I really don’t see any reason to buy them. Apples codec support has always been a little junk
 
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And still no power button or H2 chip. Incredible. As others have said Air Pods Pro Gen 2 are amazing.
 
No economically savvy person would buy these things—they are objectively not worth their asking price. This was the sentiment four years ago. Today, buying them is downright irrational. People like to argue that price and value are relative, but most would agree that the Mac Pro with Apple silicon is a bad value. The same goes for the Studio Display and Vision Pro. Sometimes a product can’t be defended.
I can however defend them based on subjective reasons. Like how I love them despite it all.
 
AirPods Max user since day 1, and they're probably the worst "premium" headphones I've ever owned due to:

• No on/off switch, so they're often dead when going to use them after neglecting to put them inside the joke of a case.
• Seriously, that "case" is a joke.
• Ridiculously heavy and uncomfortable after an hour or so of use.
• Head band is flimsy and degrades to be completely useless after a few weeks of regular use.
• Ear cups detach too easily and don't retain cushion buffer.

I don't understand how anyone can praise the AirPods Max in 2024, especially at $550+tax.
Year and a half of use but don’t recognize any of your gripes. I use them at home and put them on the charger at night. Don’t use the case. Wear them sometimes for over 8 hours on a day, never any comfort issues.
 
To me, the design of the AirPods Max seem a bit un-Apple like because it is bulky and doesn't fold itself away in an elegant way that some other headphones do. The travel case also looks rather stupid and doesn't allow for safe and secured storage, such as when putting into a cramped carry-on bag.
 
I’m not a fan of the look of these. They sound amazing…but are far too big and bulbous.
Exactly my sentiments (except I don't know how they sound since I've never tried them). I do say they are way too big and bulky looking and meanwhile other companies have been able to design headphones that fold in a much more compact and nice way (plus a good carrying case).

Airpods Max looks like some pet project of someone that some higher up person at Apple couldn't say no to, like maybe their child? ;-) ;-)
 
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No economically savvy person would buy these things—they are objectively not worth their asking price. This was the sentiment four years ago. Today, buying them is downright irrational. People like to argue that price and value are relative, but most would agree that the Mac Pro with Apple silicon is a bad value. The same goes for the Studio Display and Vision Pro. Sometimes a product can’t be defended.
I’ve got the AirPod Max and really like them. Despite being a larger guy they fit well and I’ve found them comfortable for extended use.
Sound quality is good, and I them whether it’s music or film.
Yes the case was a bit naff, but that was easily fixed with a case from a 3rd party.

And I got the Studio Display when I bought my Mac Studio, really pleased with screen quality and use it for photo editing. Sound is pretty decent too and meant I could ditch my external speakers tidying up my desk. And after the initial update the camera is ok and more than good enough for Zoom, Teams etc.

My choices were made on various criteria such as ease of use, quality and design to name a few.
They are not the cheapest options, but certain criteria stood out for me.
On the APM the build quality of the head band has made it far more durable than my Bose QC’s.
The height adjustment on the Studio Display is second to none.

But I accept they are not cheap, and I accept my options are purely my own and others may have a different view, which is absolutely fine.
 
That’s also my take:

Why not do what they did to AirPods Pro by essentially not touching the exterior design and components but just update the internals and call it a day?

The USB-C “refresh” was clearly just so they don’t get fined in the EU in 2025.

But why they couldn’t have a Gen. 2 update ready after 4 years is beyond me.

The wireless radios and the H2 chip are very inexpensive and “low-end” compared to Apple’s M4 and A18 chips.

I have to assume sales figures are still just too good to do anything more with AirPods Max? Or too low?

Seeing how even the standard AirPods are Gen. 4 and have the H2 chip, it’s kinda absurd that anyone would consider getting four-year-old AirPods Max now.

Odd how Apple will sleep on hit products that buyers have been lining up to spend $549 on if they just do a genuine refresh.

I can’t figure out why investors accept Apple snoozing on this opportunity.

Does Gurman have an explanation for why Apple does this?

I suppose your assumption of low sales is more accurate. Compared to AirPods and AirPods Pro, Max might not be selling in large enough quantities for Apple to bother. If we check Amazon monthly sales stats for AirPods 4 and Max, the numbers for non Max models are way higher.

Still, for decency’s sake, Apple still could have added an H2 chip to the “upgraded” model.

Also, IMO, APM would benefit greatly from a lossless audio playback. I mean Beats Solo 4, retailing for 199$ prior to any discounts, have an imbedded DAC and can play lossless via both 3.5 mm and USB-C ports. Meantime the latest Max incarnation won’t even play lossless via their new USB-C cable. Bizarre…

Oh yes, the ability to actually turn them off with a button would be great. They don’t even need to change the design for it, as they already have the Digital Crown and the ANC-transparency switch, so Apple could add an extra function to one of them.

So, basically, I do not think they are still worth their high price tag for what they actually offer.
 
I bought mine right when they were released and they are so comfortable I can sleep in them. I love the case which is minimal & quick to use. If the batteries eventually run down I’ll happily replace the Max with USB C ones. I don’t need upgraded internals as the sound & noise isolation is fantastic. YMMV, but I love mine. 👍🏻
 
Too heavy and the thick syrupy retro look is embarrassing. I can't believe these are selling well and the lack of updates seems to be proof of this. I never use mine. The Bose QC Ultras are my go-to's
 
I bought mine right when they were released and they are so comfortable I can sleep in them. I love the case which is minimal & quick to use. If the batteries eventually run down I’ll happily replace the Max with USB C ones. I don’t need upgraded internals as the sound & noise isolation is fantastic. YMMV, but I love mine. 👍🏻
You have made an excellent argument for a 2nd situation for me to use mine in. Sleeping. Great ANC, I won't feel the weight with my head on my pillow, and I don't care about sound clarity while I'm sleeping. So, mowing the lawn and sleeping. Oh, and they can probably function as a make-shift weapon while in their case.

The Maxes excel at three scenarios. None of these scenarios are ones I would look for in a headphone, but they are there.
 
let's just hope sony xm6s next year are so good, apple has to react.
because let's face it, if there is no competition, there is no reason to innovate. and I would argue the APM and XM5 are at least on par. if you take the apple experience into account the xm5 cant match APM at all. sonys transparency is trash as well.
 
The USB-C “refresh” was clearly just so they don’t get fined in the EU in 2025.
Products that launched before the law coming into effect can continue to be manufactured and sold without USB C, they could have continued to make and sell AirPods Max gen1 without falling foul of it.
 
No economically savvy person would buy these things—they are objectively not worth their asking price. This was the sentiment four years ago. Today, buying them is downright irrational. People like to argue that price and value are relative, but most would agree that the Mac Pro with Apple silicon is a bad value. The same goes for the Studio Display and Vision Pro. Sometimes a product can’t be defended.
It depends what the value is to you.
It is not about being economically savvy, but about how a product represents value to you. If you just want the cheapest version with similar specs, then why be an Apple customer?

The Vision Pro as immense value as a developer for it, not so much as an early adopter.
The studio display adds value for screen resolution where it is needed, plus the aesthetic value it adds [which a economically savvy customer isn't going to care about].

I buy Apple as it all works together, looks great and rarely gives me any issues. Value is simply in your perception.
 
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What should they update the chip for? I don’t even know what chip is inside and what features it doesn’t support, probably precision finding Find My support? Apart from that they should update the case and the price I guess, maybe repairability for battery service.
Replacing the H1 chip with the current H2 chip or a future H3 chip would improve sound quality and ANC.
 
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These things are trash...I could barely GIVE mine away...Buy some Sennheiser Momentum 4 or Sony's..Or if you want to be a baller, some Focal Bathys. I never write comments.. and when I do, It's mostly positive...these crappy headphones deserve a negative comment.
 
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What is up with Macrumors hiding top comments on this post? Trying to hide the discontent?
 
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