Apple's New AirPods Max Are a Worse Deal Than the Old Model
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If you walk into an Apple Store today, an employee will happily sell you a new pair of AirPods Max for $549. That's a big ask for any consumer-grade wireless headphones, even with the "Apple tax" that comes with the AirPods name. What's most egregious to me, however, is that money you spend today gets you an arguably worse overall experience than Apple's previous AirPods Max generation.
New does not mean better
There are actually two different models of AirPods Max, although it's quite difficult to tell them apart. The latest model, which Apple released in September, hardly changes a thing from the originals, which dropped at the end of 2020. The only advertised differences are a few new color options, and, more importantly, the addition of USB-C, replacing the Lightning port on the original models. That's a much-needed change that comes as Apple ditches its proprietary Lightning port for USB-C on its suite of products.
Other than that, however, these headphones are effectively the same: They pair the same way, have the same (excellent) sound quality, and are compatible with the same Spatial Audio features. If you're a wireless-first person, you won't notice a difference, unless you go to charge the headphones.
That changes if you're someone who likes to use their AirPods Max to their devices via wired connection, though. As reported by 9to5Mac, you cannot connect your USB-C AirPods Max to your iPhone, Mac, iPad, or any other device of your choosing. It appears that, for these headphones, when Apple says wireless, they mean wireless.
It's not so shocking if you're coming from another wireless-only pair of headphones, but it is jarring for those of us with a first-gen AirPods Max. (I know it is for me.) These models do support a wired connection, so long as you use a Lighting to 3.5mm audio cable.
Wires still have a place in 2024
Again, you might not see the big deal if you're a wireless-only person. But, to me, it's the principle: The "new" AirPods Max loses a feature—a useful feature—from the original AirPods Max, for seemingly no reason. That Lighting to 3.5mm audio cable means you can use your AirPods Max with devices that require a wired connection, like a record player or a live audio interface. It's also required if you want to listen to lossless music in Apple Music, since Bluetooth has a limit to the quality you can transmit over. (That said, Apple says the Lightning to 3.5mm cable can't be truly lossless, so you still need a dedicated wired headphone for true lossless.)
What's more, the original AirPods Max are usually much cheaper than the newest option. As of this article, you can get the Lightning AirPods Max in blue for $399 on Amazon. The blue AirPods Max with USB-C are $130 more. Look, I love the dream of USB-C, where you can charge all your devices with one cable. But is it worth $130 to leave your Lightning cable at home? I don't think so.