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AirPods Max: Here’s what Twitter had to say about the high-cost headphones

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Apple has launched another premium product, at another premium price. Some people had had enough; here’s Twitter’s verdict on the AirPods Max.

There’s been speculation for years that Apple would launch its own-brand over-ear headphones, and so it has finally come to pass: the AirPods Max have some fancy features such as noise cancellation, Spatial Audio to create an effect similar to surround sound, and Adaptive EQ, which adjusts sound according to the fit and seal of the ear cushions.

But that’s just techy stuff, and of course no-one outside of Cupertino has really had the chance to really put the headphones to the test yet. So between the design and the price, the Twitter mob is going all in on lambasting Apple’s latest product.

Tech influencer Marques Brownlee feigned tongue-in-cheek surprise that the new design didn’t pay homage to the in-ear AirPods design:

But most critiques focused on the new carrying case for the luxury headphones. When stored inside, the headphones enter an ultra-low power mode which saves battery life, but some Twitter users clearly wouldn’t be seen dead carrying the new case.

Some say it resembles a leather handbag, which might not make it a great hit with the lads down the pub. 

And if you thought that was bad enough, others even claimed it looked more like a bra – with supporting evidence…

One particularly creative user decided it looks like a handbag, that itself looks like a bra. Meta.

But while any design is going to have some fans and some detractors, there’s one thing that seemed to unite the Twittersphere (a rarely-achieved feat indeed) and that was sheer horror at the £549 price tag.

After the initial shock, the price comparisons started rolling in – and it wasn’t pretty. Sony’s new PS5 console has been flying off the shelves lately and all that next-gen gaming tech could be yours for around the same price as Apple’s new audio gimmick.

And if gaming’s not your thing, you could even buy yourself a cheap little run-around car for the same price as, I repeat, a pair of headphones.

Class-conscious comparisons similar to those laid out in this year’s Oscar-winning film Parasite, also poured in:

While fans also speculated as to the hidden features that such an expensive pair of headphones must surely boast in order to justify such a costly outlay:

So what do you make of the headphones and the backlash they instantly generated across social media? Is it all a big fuss about nothing, or has Apple officially taken it too far this time? Let us know in the poll below.

 

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