Three years ago today, Apple unveiled its first over-ear headphones with the introduction of AirPods Max. I can’t say today marks a very exciting birthday. The AirPods Max really do deserve to be treated better than the neglect we’ve seen so far.
When they were first announced, many were quick to point out a few AirPods Max quirks. These ranged from the bizarre case to the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the flipside, they packed the latest AirPods tech inside, a premium aluminum design, and excellent sound quality.
In the intervening years, those quirks have become more exasperated by the neglect with which Apple has treated the other aspects of AirPods Max. AirPods Max haven’t been updated since their release in December 2020, which means they’ve fallen significantly behind AirPods Pro (and even some Beats headphones).
Here’s a brief list of some of the software features AirPods Max lack because they’re using the H1 chip inside. And for context: the H1 chip was first introduced in March 2019 with the AirPods 2.
- Conversational Awareness, which automatically lowers any media volume, reduces background noise, and enhances the voices in front of you.
- Personalized Volume, which uses machine learning to perfect your listening experience “based on your preferences over time and your surrounding environment.”
- Adaptive Audio, which blends Transparency and Active Noise Cancellation to adjust the listening experience as the environment around you changes.
AirPods Max don’t need to be updated every year. That’s not at all what I’m asking for. I think at least one update after three years is a reasonable ask, to at least bring them to feature parity with AirPods Pro.
Bloomberg has reported that “new” AirPods Max are on the schedule for next year. At first, it seemed like a guarantee that these would be proper AirPods Max 2 with a more powerful H2 chip inside and all the same features as AirPods Pro 2. A subsequent report from Mark Gurman with more details threw cold water on that idea. Next year’s AirPods Max update is expected to add a USB-C port for charging and maybe refresh the colors. That’s all.
I can’t say I recommend anyone buy AirPods Max today, especially at the full $549 retail price. If the aforementioned rumors about what to expect with next year’s AirPods Max revision pan out, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to recommend them then, either.
Anyway, it is your birthday, AirPods Max. I hope someone inside Apple remembered.
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