One thing that got a lot of people riled up online today during the Apple Event was the part aboutAirPods Max. Specifically, the fact that the AirPods Max gotvirtually no hardware upgrades– they now uses USB-C, in line with the European Union’s law requiring all electronics to haveUSB-C charging ports, and it comes in five new colors: midnight, blue, purple, orange, and starlight.
It’s understandable that some may be angry after four years of waiting for a hardware update for Apple’s iconicnoise-cancelling headphones, but I have a much different take on the situation. I think it’s great that Apple didn’t go overboard with it. Bringing the headphones in line with EU requirements was a given. That’s been happening with their entire product line so as to not alienate themselves from the European market. But I also think that keeping things minimal was called for.
The AirPods Max are very expensive, already have great specs and features, and people shouldn’t feel compelled to buy the new thing just because it’s new. So to me, this was a great move on Apple’s part.
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One less thing to over-consume
Apple is finally sparing you the pressure of forking over hundreds of dollars
Over-consumption is a major issue in today’s world, where advertising is constantly inundating us with the message to buy more stuff, and that includes this idea of staying up to date with our electronics, lest we experience the embarrassment of being out of date and out of touch. But this is obviously a manufactured phenomenon made to make corporations more money. We don’t actually need to be consuming as much as we do, and I think this is especially true with consumer technology like headphones.
Four years isn’t truly that old, we’ve just been made to feel that way because of planned obsolescence.
So, with Apple barely changing anything about the AirPods Max, whether it was intentional or not, the company is not doing much to promote over-consumption for this one item in its lineup. I suspect very few people would go out of their way to purchase new AirPods Max just for a new color and USB-C if they already own the previous iteration, because quite frankly, it would be a pretty useless thing to spend money on. Four years isn’t truly that old – we’ve just been made to feel that way because of planned obsolescence. So you can rest easy knowing that you really don’t have any reason to spend $549 on a new pair of headphones.
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Foregoing unnecessary upgrades is better for both the environment and human welfare
E-waste is a leading cause of toxic waste in the environment, and cobalt mining has dire consequences
On a related note, not over-consuming headphones also means preventing unnecessarye-waste. As I mentioned before, four years really isn’t that old for a good electronic device, and feeling compelled to replace your perfectly good electronics with the newest, shiniest edition is not only terrible for your wallet, but bad for the environment in multiple ways.
E-waste refers to discarded electronic devices, either because they’re broken and unfixable, or simply because the owner decided to upgrade and discard their predecessor. This includes devices that are to be refurbished, recycled, or salvaged in some way. When you discard a pair of headphones, such as the AirPods Max, whether you give it back to Apple to recycle or you simply discard it, you are creating excess e-waste. Headphones contain components that don’t break down in nature like plastic and various metals, and according to theUnited Nations Institute for Training and Research(UNITAR), in 2022, 62 million metric tonnes of e-waste was produced, which is up 82% from 2010. UNITAR also found that only 22.3% of e-waste was properly recycled in 2022. E-waste contains toxic components like lead and mercury, which are detrimental to the environment, and human and animal health.
According to theUnited Nations Institute for Training and Research(UNITAR), in 2022, 62 million metric tonnes of e-waste was produced, which is up 82% from 2010.
Additionally, consumption of products is a signifier of their demand to corporations, which leads to further manufacturing of said products, which in this specific case, requires extraction of rare earth metals that is not only detrimental to the environment, but also involves fatal working conditions and forced child labor. In 2019, Apple, alongside other major tech companies, wasnamed in a lawsuitalleging that children were killed and maimed in cobalt mines used by Apple and these other companies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Cobalt is used to make cathodes for lithium-ion batteries, which are used in most rechargeable electronics, like the AirPods Max. Apple hassince statedthat by 2025, they will use only recycled cobalt in Apple-designed batteries, but that is a goal, not a guarantee.
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AirPods Max are already perfectly good as is
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Lastly, there is very little wrong with the AirPods Max as they exist currently. The biggest gripes I can muster are that the case is basically useless, they don’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack, and they don’t technically ever turn off, they just go into low power mode. While those issues can be pretty annoying, they’re not really worth a major upgrade at this point. There’s basically nothing else to “fix” about the AirPods Max.
The AirPods Max, as they currently exist, have a unique and interesting design that’s instantly recognizable, they have superbnoise-cancellingand transparency technology, on par with other flagship noise-cancelling headphones from brands like Bose and Sony, and they have head tracking for spatial audio that works incredibly well. On top of that, they have great 20-hour battery life. What more could there even be to add to a pair of headphones as stacked as these? Noise-cancelling can be improved over time in software updates, and getting a new H2 chip is not a needed upgrade. They have Bluetooth 5.0, which is still perfectly good, and you won’t get lossless audio over newer versions of Bluetooth anyway, so there’s no point in upgrading it.
To save battery life on AirPods Max, put them into low power mode by leaving them untouched for five minutes, or placing them in their smart case.
Ultimately, it’s better for consumers that the AirPods Max have not fundamentally changed. There’s no pressure to upgrade, meaning relief for your wallet, less e-waste, and less demand on an exploitative supply chain. We should all consider it a blessing that Apple hasn’t given anyone a reason to spend another $549 on a pair of headphones.
AirPods Max
TheAirPods Maxoffer premium sound quality, active noise cancellation, and a luxurious design for an immersive audio experience.
