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AirPods Max

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Re: AirPods Max

#201

Post by cactus2093 »

nbzso wrote: post #102

Apple: Made in China - 549 USD, no thanks. If I need something that is "Max" I will buy this - made in Germany. https://www.amazon.de/beyerdynamic-Amiron-Over-Ear-Kopfh%C3%... People still don't get this thing. Its simple : Big Corporations are taking big profit by using China as manufacturing, China is not a democracy, China is not free market economy, buying products completely made abroad is killing off a middle c…

I guess it might surprise you to learn that China is a big place capable of manufacturing both high quality and cheaper, low quality products,

There’s a really interesting Netflix documentary American Factory that depicts one particular example, and puts on display a lot of the complicated factors you’re talking about. But the interesting thing is after like 2 years of training and tweaking processes, the American location of this auto glass factory just can’t for the life of them produce a product as high quality as the Chinese factory.

See also: most other Apple products, for more examples of high quality things manufactured in China.

Also, call me crazy but why should I care about random Midwestern Americans any more than random Chinese people I’ve never met? Globalization has raised an astounding number of people in China out of poverty in the past 20 years which is an amazing feat.

Not wanting to support the country because of the governments human rights abuses is totally fair, but you seem to be mixing that in as just one reason among all the other protectionist rhetoric.

Lastly, to pretend that companies are giant infinite pools of money that are choosing to hold out on everyone is just silly. If they were to manufacture things in more expensive places, then you’d be looking at $700 headphones instead of $550. If you’d rather support other companies, then great, do that! That’s the beauty of having so many choices.

Re: AirPods Max

#202

Post by lnenad »

mellosouls wrote: post #181
r0fl wrote: post #122

I know nothing about headphones, nor do I want to invest any time learning about headphones. I’ve had a bunch of Apple products that have never disappointed me in the last 10+ years. I’ll buy these overpriced headphones because an extra $200 for a product I’ll probably use for 5 years will not break my bank account.

(paraphrased) "I know nothing about the subject..." "Not gonna learn about other options..." "Apple doesn't disappoint me..." "I'll buy the overpriced stuff because I can afford it..." This Apple-blinkers comment is telling, and refreshingly honest. I'm sure there are other brands with that sort of attachment, but none that exemplify the phenomenon more.

Tbh it's a valid point. I'm the same for Bosch home appliances, or Miele if I'm going for the long haul. It just works^TM

Re: AirPods Max

#203

Post by salimmadjd »

For those of you who follow the industry closely. Is this a prelude to Apple’s VR glasses?

> Using the gyroscope and accelerometer in AirPods Max and iPhone or iPad, spatial audio tracks the motion of a user’s head as well as the device, compares the motion data, then remaps the sound field so it stays anchored to the device, even as the user’s head moves.

Re: AirPods Max

#204

Post by bnj »

jesusthatsgreat wrote: post #126
headmelted wrote: post #7

$549 a pair. Yikes. I'm fairly confident I've reached my own personal peak for Apple pricing. As a spectator I've no doubt these will sell massive numbers but I'm curious to learn what the market will bear for Apple's products.

$549 today isn't as much as $549 was 10 years ago or even 5 years ago. The world is getting wealthier. Money is getting cheaper. We've just printed trillions of dollars this year to keep the good times rolling baby. We live in an era where people would rather pay $549 for a set of headphones than save it in a bank account or save for a house, cuz there's no way in hell they'll ever be able to afford a house. So why n…

Don't worry in a few short years you'll be able to lease your Apple Car and Apple House.

/s-sortof.

Re: AirPods Max

#205

Post by corobo »

eertami wrote: post #113

$549!? That puts it in the same price category as: Sennheiser HD660S, Audeze LCD-1, Beyerdynamic DT1770/1990, Grado RS2e, among many many others. Honestly, I don't understand why you would buy these when there are a lot of established professional audio companies offering better sound at a cheaper price. At least airpods have a unique selling point in their portability and ux but I don't see how this benefits over-ea…

I dunno if the price is worth it or if it's mostly Apple Magic Pricing TM but honestly having a virtual assistant on hand is pretty good for day to day use - I'd love that in an over-ear.

Combine that with wireless and presumably Apple's headphone device switching ability and I'd be tempted if not broke

> better sound at a cheaper price

Oh nice you've tested them then? How's the sound for mainstream non-gold-plated ears?

Re: AirPods Max

#206

Post by meesterdude »

jesusthatsgreat wrote: post #126
headmelted wrote: post #7

$549 a pair. Yikes. I'm fairly confident I've reached my own personal peak for Apple pricing. As a spectator I've no doubt these will sell massive numbers but I'm curious to learn what the market will bear for Apple's products.

$549 today isn't as much as $549 was 10 years ago or even 5 years ago. The world is getting wealthier. Money is getting cheaper. We've just printed trillions of dollars this year to keep the good times rolling baby. We live in an era where people would rather pay $549 for a set of headphones than save it in a bank account or save for a house, cuz there's no way in hell they'll ever be able to afford a house. So why n…

meanwhile the last time the federal minimum wage was raised was in 2009, to $7.25 an hour. At that rate, you'd need to work ~76 hours to afford these headphones.

From a company that priced a monitor stand at $1000, this is at least more functional. But for most people, a pair of $30 headphones will be just as good, albeit without the status symbol element.

Re: AirPods Max

#207

Post by mgraupner »

emsy wrote: post #24

These look magnificent. I’m Looking forward to a couple of years when the battery is dead and you can’t change it without breaking the glued case. This is similar to the reaction I have to announcements of new Google services due to notorious discontinuation. Edit: judging from the explosion view, it does look to feature actual screws, so I'm cautiously optimistic they might last longer than 3 years, although you nev…

One of the things I criticise the most of Apple, the whole AirPod line is a disposable product. If the battery dies you can throw it away. I like Apple products but I will never own any pair of AirPods or any other product where you can dispose of it when the battery is done. This is a shareholders dream, but an environmental nightmare.

Re: AirPods Max

#208

Post by leokennis »

lethologica wrote: post #103
duncanawoods wrote: post #12

That bikini carry case... https://www.apple.com/newsroom/images/product/airpods/standa...

That looks woefully inadequate to protect an expensive set of headphones.

Yep, no way I am stowing away headphones into a suitcase or work bag using this piece of fabric as a "case".

Re: AirPods Max

#209

Post by millerm »

r0fl wrote: post #122

I know nothing about headphones, nor do I want to invest any time learning about headphones. I’ve had a bunch of Apple products that have never disappointed me in the last 10+ years. I’ll buy these overpriced headphones because an extra $200 for a product I’ll probably use for 5 years will not break my bank account.

I'll have to say that the spatial audio stuff is friggin' cool in the AirPods Pro. This is a bit spicy for me in the $ department as I already have too many professional over-the-ear headphones. But, would be nice... Dammit. Don't make me do it! I haven't looked, but if this has spatial audio that is compatible with an upcoming AppleTV or something, I'd probably just say "ummm, yeah, I will not be putting any surround sound in this room and I'll just enjoy this movie with my headphones."

Re: AirPods Max

#210

Post by dsr_ »

jankotek wrote: post #72
clolege wrote: post #15

These are quite appealing for their spatial audio support, without seeming quite as throwaway as the in-ear AirPods [0]. I wonder if they'll end up sounding like beats? [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23826070

$500 for headphones is fine, if they would last 20 years. AirPods look like flimsy plastic stuff. For portable heapdhones they are not water resistant, do not fold and not even come with hard case. And given apple, there will be no spare parts and manuals. Get Sony, much better value.

My Sony MDR7506 is... 22 years old. Cost about $100 back then. Looks like Amazon will sell you a new set for a little less than that. 11,500 reviews.

I've replaced the pads twice, at a cost of about $10 each time.

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