According to Mark Gurman's latest Power On newsletter, Apple has no “meaningful” plans to update the AirPods Max after introducing the USB-C model earlier this year. If you were expecting a bigger update with a new chip, better noise cancellation, or anything else, you're out of luck.
Apple introduced the AirPods Max in December 2020 at a steep $549 price point and left them unchanged for nearly four years. We later got a USB-C version with some updated colors in September 2024, but that's about it. No H2 chip upgrade, no adaptive audio, or anything major.
According to Gurman, the $549 AirPods Max aren't exactly worth Apple's time:
The earbuds aren't popular enough to justify the investment, but they're not such a flop that they're a dead giveaway. If you've ever been to a high-end gym in LA or New York, you can see that there's a market for these $550 earbuds — even with the hefty price tag and outdated tech.
Gurman thinks Apple will keep the AirPods Max in their current form for the “foreseeable future,” so it could be a couple years before we see a truly updated model.
Best comment by Daryl Fortney
These are the kind of lame-duck excuses that feed on themselves and make no sense. The only reason it’s not selling enough is because they haven’t invested enough in keeping it fresh and competitive in the marketplace. Listen to your customers and add the features they want at a reasonable price and it will sell. The Mac mini has been in this camp for years, too, and now look at this one.
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Obviously, it would make sense for Apple to lower the price of the AirPods Max if they wanted them to sell better, but there’s little incentive for Apple to do so.
I hope the AirPods Max don’t languish on Apple’s website for the next four years like the first pair, but it looks like that’s what’s coming.
What do you think of the AirPods Max in their current form? Let us know in the comments.
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