One year ago today, Apple launched its first over- ear headphones under its own brand name, the AirPods Max. There are no rumors about a successor one year later, but there are some indications about what customers can expect from the second iteration of the device.
According to a report from Mark Gurman, the AirPods Max had suffered from several development challenges, such as problems with the headband being too tight, leading to multiple delays and scaling back of functions.
It was thought that the concept of interchangeable headbands and earcups would be the same as that of the Apple Watch bands. The replaceable headband concept was predicted to be dropped by Apple amid delays and development issues.
The final AirPods Max design has evidence of this concept. The headband can be easily removed from the headphones. To do this, users need to remove the magnetic ear cushions, fold the earcups, and insert a sim card tool into a small hole above the speaker.
Prelook image.
The spokes on either side of the headband reveal a small Lightning-style connection for transferring power and data between the earcups. It is possible that this system for removing the headband is a remnant of the original, more modular approach to AirPods Max.
It was thought that the left and right ear detection of the AirPods Max would allow users to reverse the headphones' orientation. The Digital Crown appears to be the replacement for this in the final product. It is possible that some of these features could come to the second iteration of the AirPods Max.
There were rumors that the AirPods Max would be available in two different styles. Jon Prosser repeatedly said that there would be a "luxury variant" and a "sport-like variant" of the AirPods Max. The cheaper $350 "sport variant" has yet to emerge, despite Prosser's $599 being not far off the final $549 AirPods Max price tag. The lower-end version of the AirPods Max could be launched in the future.
The AirPods are in Silver, Space Gray, Pink, Green, and Blue.
In May of this year, Mark Gurman wrote a report that said that Apple was not working on a new model, but was considering launching new colors.
The AirPods Max is a year old, so Apple could refresh it with new colors. The company has chosen to do this with other products, such as the iPhone 12 and the HomePod mini, and it would now be particularly fitting for the AirPods Max given the general disarray of Apple's current offering of colors across its devices.
