Apple is not working on a new version of AirPods Max. Sorry.
This is according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who mentioned it in his latest “Power On” newsletter.
In September 2024, the company technically launched a new version of AirPods Max, but they’re essentially the same as the previous model, with the only notable change being the switch from Lightning port to USB-C.
If that got you expecting something more in the future, we’ve got bad news: Gurman claims that Apple has no immediate plans to upgrade the AirPods Max “in a meaningful way.”
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On one hand, it may be proof that the current version is simply selling well enough, giving the company no immediate reason to upgrade. Or perhaps, as Gurman believes, the sales are too low, giving Apple little reason to bother with an upgrade.
It’s a pity, given that the AirPods Max don’t support some of Apple’s own Apple Music features, including Adaptive Audio or Lossless audio quality.
The lack of Lossless support is particularly odd for Apple’s top headphones. Apple Music started offering lossless-quality audio back in 2021 (for a primer of what this means, go here), about a year after it launched the AirPods Max. Four years later, the $549 AirPods Max still have the same H1 chip inside (the company launched a new, H2 chip in the meantime, and it currently powers the AirPods Pro and the 4th generation AirPods).
Another tidbit from Gurman’s latest newsletter has to do with Apple’s Siri, which is apparently getting a new overhaul soon. Gurman wrote about it in the recent report, saying that the company is testing a “more conversational” Siri, but that it is unlikely to launch before 2026.
