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Apple AirPods Max noise cancelling headphones coming December 15 for $899

Apple has announced an addition to its hugely popular AirPods line-up in time for Christmas but there’s an important thing you need to know.

Jack Gramenz
2 min read
December 9, 2020 - 11:20AM
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Apple has announced a pair of super-expensive noise cancelling headphones in the lead up to Christmas, capping off a run of new releases to close out the end of 2020.

The AirPods Max cost $899, which even by Apple standards is expensive when compared to the competition.

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The AirPods Max will work best with Apple’s other devices.
The AirPods Max will work best with Apple’s other devices.

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In a string of product releases this year, the tech giant has also announced new products like the Fitness+ subscription service for at home workouts and its own custom-designed processors that have promised huge speed performance and allowed for new designs.

Apple said the headphones feature a ‘breathable knit mesh canopy, distributing weight to reduce on-head pressure’.
Apple said the headphones feature a ‘breathable knit mesh canopy, distributing weight to reduce on-head pressure’.
The digital crown (left) on the new AirPods Max.
The digital crown (left) on the new AirPods Max.

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But as Steve Jobs himself so loved to say: Apple has one more thing.

The AirPods Max over-ear noise cancelling headphones have been predicted on several occasions this year, with many industry insiders and commentators looking into their crystal ball before previous events and seeing a pair of big headphones inside.

On Wednesday, Apple finally confirmed in a press release the headphones do exist.

You can already order them and they’ll start shipping on Tuesday next week.

The AirPods Max are available in grey, silver, blue, green, and pink.

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The custom 40mm driver promises ‘rich, deep bass, accurate mid-ranges, and crisp, clean high-frequency extension’.
The custom 40mm driver promises ‘rich, deep bass, accurate mid-ranges, and crisp, clean high-frequency extension’.

Apple tout the 40mm custom-built drivers on the headphones and “acoustically engineered memory foam ear cushions”.

The headphones feature noise cancellation, transparency mode and spatial audio like the $399 AirPods Pro earbuds.

It’s also inherited the digital crown from the Apple Watch, used here to adjust volume, play and pause, skip tracks, answer and end calls and activate Siri.

As is increasingly the case, “computational processing” that already boots things like the camera on your smartphone is also being used in the AirPods Max to increase audio quality, with adaptive EQ that measures the sound coming in and adjusts the low and mid-frequencies in real time to compensate.

The AirPods Max work best with other products within the Apple ecosystem, so if you’re already firmly ensconced in that the AirPods Max could present a compelling option that can go from your iPhone to iPad, Mac and Apple TV, and Apple claims the battery life will last up to 20 hours while you do.

Apple also owns the Beats brand of headphones, which can provide a nearly similar level of integration starting at a cheaper price.

The mammoth cost of the AirPods Max is already raising eyebrows.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/home-entertainment/audio/apple-airpods-max-noise-cancelling-headphones-coming-december-15-for-899/news-story/00b3113a51c0e878c5ed5feaf042913f