Apple has no plans for an AirPods Max update in the near future

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Apple refreshed its highest-end audio product, the AirPods Max, with the new USB-C port and new colors in September alongside the iPhone 16 series. 

However, if you were holding out hopes for an actual AirPods Max refresh with new features, better noise cancellation, and a better chip, you are in for a disappointment. 

According to the latest edition of Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, Apple has no real plans to refresh the AirPods Max.

Don’t expect a real AirPods Max update anytime soon 

Apple introduced the original AirPods Max with the Lightning chip in December 2020, priced at $549. It remained the same for four years until September 2024, when Apple refreshed it with USB-C and some new colors.

Unfortunately, it cannot be called a genuine refresh as the H2 chip remains the same; there is no adaptive audio and nothing substantial. 

While we were eagerly waiting for the second generation of the AirPods Max, this weekend’s Power On newsletter suggests that we are out of luck.

Gurman states that at $549, the AirPods Max aren’t quite worth Apple’s time. 

The headphones aren’t a hot enough seller to justify pouring money into development, but thry’re also not a big enough flop to kill them outright. If you’ve ever been to an upscale gym in Los Angels or New York, you can see these $550 headphones have a market — even with the high price and outdated technology.

Gurman believes that the AirPods Max may remain in its current form for the “foreseeable future,” and the new truly updated model may not appear for the next few years. 

However, the AirPods Max has already been on Apple’s website for four long years, and if the company plans to continue selling it for the next four years, a price cut is necessary to improve sales. 

Unfortunately, according to Gurman, the Cupertino firm doesn’t have much of an incentive to do so. 

What do you think about the development timeline of the AirPods Max line? Are you happy with the pair currently on sale, or would you have liked Apple to release a bigger upgrade? Let’s talk in comments below, or via our Twitter or Facebook.