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€629 is the sum you’ll need to shell out to get yourself the Apple AirPods Max. After acquiring Beats, Apple has been on the conquest of the audio world for a few years now. First by continuing to improve headphones under the Beats brand, then by releasing AirPods and HomePods to quietly make their way into our living rooms. Today, it’s the turn of over-ear headphones!
But when Apple decides to go after a market segment, don’t expect market prices! Apple always attacks the high end first. The brand does it without compromise to shake its competitors. Where Sony and Bose offer cutting-edge technology products, Apple will do the same — but better and more beautiful.
Between us, who actually prefers the design of the Sony WH-1000XM4 (absolutely awful product name, by the way) or the Bose QC35? I think Bose saw this coming a while back by releasing a product technically close to the QC 35 but with a design that actually makes you want to own it — the Bose 700.
Apple releases its AirPods Max and is going to blow the competition away, because everything will be perfectly controlled. Don’t confuse specs with reality. Apple isn’t positioning this as a monitoring headset — most professionals will never use it. What Apple wants is to give pleasure to the ears of informed listeners who consume music through streaming services. They want to make music feel alive without getting into the weeds of specs that most newcomers couldn’t care less about (lossless audio, etc.).
Is the price justified? The market price is the price at which buyers are willing to pull out their credit card — see for yourself: there’s already no stock left for Christmas!
Why does price always make headlines when it comes to Apple? When I look at a brand like Bang & Olufsen with comparable headphones in their catalogue at €800, Apple’s price doesn’t shock me at all.
To enjoy sound comparable to Sony or Bose headphones you’ll need to turn to the Beats brand — full stop. For high-end products that aren’t made of plastic it’s Apple, but the price matches the brand’s ambitions.
Hey, can’t wait for the Pro version 😂.
