Apple users are in disbelief after the company unveiled the hefty price tag of its new noise-canceling headphones, the AirPods Max. After months of rumors that the company had one more hardware announcement up its sleeve in 2020, the company officially announced the AirPods Max Tuesday morning, with the premium design coming with a premium price tag of $549,
The AirPods Max, according to Apple, feature a "custom acoustic design" that boasts a 40mm driver system "that provides rich, deep bass, accurate mid-ranges, and crisp, clean high-frequency extension so every note can be heard." They also boast H1 chips, advanced software to power computational audio, Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, and spatial audio. AirPods Max join the existing AirPods family, including AirPods and AirPods Pro. They come in five colors – space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink.
"AirPods are the most popular headphones in the world, beloved for their effortless setup, incredible sound quality, and iconic design. With AirPods Max, we are bringing that magical AirPods experience to a stunning over-ear design with high-fidelity audio," Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said in a press release. "The custom acoustic design, combined with powerful H1 chips, and advanced software enable AirPods Max to use computational audio to wirelessly deliver the ultimate personal listening experience."
While the new item specs are impressive, many Apple users excited to pre-order the AirPods Max were taken aback by the price. At $549, the headphones are more expensive than the Apple iPhone SE 2, which starts at $399. Keep scrolling to see what people are saying.