New colors, new USB-C port – but otherwise a completely outdated interior that matches 2020 and possibly, see below, is even worse: The revised AirPods Max, which Apple presented on Monday, are for those interested in buying luxury over-ears a big disappointment. Since then, observers and analysts have been wondering why Apple did it. Now new speculation has emerged that relates to a regulation from the European Union Commission: the requirement for USB-C connections for consumer electronics and computer technology in Europe.
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Last Date: 28 December
Because anyone who looks at the calendar will see that the year 2024 is slowly slipping away. This in turn means that the EU directive against electronic waste passed in 2022, which makes USB-C the standard for many types of devices, finally comes into effect. By December 28, new headphones and headsets must use USB-C, in addition to smartphones, tablets, e-book readers, portable game consoles, portable speakers and navigation systems. That means: If Apple wanted to bring its AirPods Max to market, USB-C would have to be included by the end of the year. (Laptops, by the way, still have another two years to go.)
Now the theory is that the company had planned to redesign the AirPods Max but couldn’t manage it overall in terms of timing – and so now there’s a mini-upgrade with new colours and USB-C. Apple is a big company and one would expect the company to be able to develop new headphones in about four years. But the idea isn’t entirely impossible, as the company relies on small internal teams where things can go wrong.
New model just saved?
Accordingly, it would then be likely that we no longer have to wait another four years for the “real” new AirPods Max and Apple could introduce them next year. Whether one considers this idea realistic or not is up to each reader. However, it would be reasonable to assume that the AirPods Pro with new internals are expected to arrive in 2025 – and that would mean a new audio chip called the H3. This in turn would fit much better in the AirPods Max than the already old, albeit still current, H2. (Apple uses the ancient H1 with the new models.)
Until then, AirPods Max fans will have to make do with the USB-C port as an innovation. By the way, it seems that it has lower quality than the Lightning version: the specifications published so far indicate that USB-C audio is not possible through it. With AirPods Max with Lightning you can use it lightning to headphone cable At least get largely latency-free analog audio in a Mac. Looks like it won’t work anymore. (Early tests haven’t confirmed this yet). There’s good news, though: the EU’s USB-C requirement means that keyboards, mice (and probably trackpads) will also need USB-C by the end of December. But the Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse still have Lightning. Hopefully this problem will be solved soon.
(B.Sc.)
