After Apple’s JIT for Christmas AirPods MAX, I’m skeptical. Here was a product that Apple sourced from a third party supplier for years and featured in its Apple Store as Beats headphones.
Apple had years to evaluate, plan and test integrating the headphone into its product line. By this measure the Air Pods MAX launch failed:
Bettering state-of-the-art audio
No roadmap upgrade into Apple audio
No test validation for on/off design, carry case or analog performance
Apple AAC audio standard is a proprietary loss-less music compression format. It is the standard Apple uses to design all its audio products rather than mp3. It sounds better than mp3. But audiophile standards exist that exceed AAC and sound better. Apple clearly thought state-of-the-art was not in the design brief for Air Pods MAX.
First principles then AAC available on Air Pods and Air Pods PRO use exactly the same standard so the only difference will be preferential in-ear or over-ear listening. Oh, there’s that +$300 price difference to MAX your headgear.
BUT for the price of Air Pods PRO + $300 in change the new Air Pods MAX can’t be used with AppleTV nor used with Mac OS X desktop let alone plug into your home stereo. Add $35.
MOSTLY, Air Pods MAX fails to pass the Wendy’s little olde lady test…“Where’s the OFF button”? The case is a bold exercise in minimalism that has been judged on every level as “ Are you kidding me”? While Air Pods MAX are worthless once they run out of battery life. The $35 accessory passive input AUX for analog cannot help them. Air Pods MAX are dead - they can not pass signal through the headphones to listen directly to stereo.
NOW iCar? There’s no way I have any confidence in Apple if they can’t manage an Air Pods product launch. Tim Cook leadership is waning, he is no car guy (does he drive?) and providing the innovative leadership to disrupt a huge upstart EV segment is a MAJOR paradigm shift compared to putting a headphone on the same shelf as highend audiophile headgear.