Apple breezed through a few long-overdue updates to the AirPods Max during Monday’s “It’s Glowtime” event. The minor updates include new colors for Apple’s premium over-ear headphones, tweaks to their active noise cancellation feature and the removal of the Lightning port in favor of USB-C.
AirPods Max get USB-C, new colors, not much else
With the newly updated AirPods Max, Apple finally took the mandatory step of removing the Lightning port from the product, replacing it with USB-C. This means that you’ll be able to quickly charge your Mac, iPad, iPhone and now, AirPods Max, with the same charging cable. This also (theoretically) allows for more USB-C audio adapters to connect to the headphones, replacing the need for the $35(!!!!) Lightning to 3.5mm cable.
Along with the physical change of USB-C comes a new list of color options. The new colors include starlight, midnight, purple, orange and blue (which appears more teal than the original blue). These provide a fresh look for AirPods Max. Aside from the physical changes, the AirPods Max gets minor tweaks to the active noise cancellation and spatial audio.
The new AirPods Max are the first upgrade to Apple’s over-the-ear headphones since they launched in December 2020 for $549 — several hundred dollars more expensive than rival headphones. The pricey cans garnered enthusiastic reviews but failed to sell in big numbers like their cheaper, in-ear brethren. Wireless headphones have grown into a $13 billion a year business, with Apple dominating the market, but AirPods Max headphones account for just a fraction of sales, which is the rumored reason for a lack of upgrades until now.
The AirPods Max remain at their $549 price tag, with preorders starting today.
The refresh is a relatively minor upgrade. Personally, I hoped for the end to the horrible AirPods Max case, which I think ranks up there among the very worst things Apple ever designed.
Leander Kahney contributed to this report.
