Technology giant- Apple Inc. has recently unveiled the ‘AirPods Max’, active noise-canceling headphones that join the other recent newcomers from April 2020, including a line of iPhone 12 models, a new smartwatch, new iPad Air variant, latest iMac, and many others.

Reportedly, with the launch, the company has entered the competitive over-ear headphones market that is dominated by Sony Corp. and Bose Corp., extending its product portfolio to accessories to supplement its revenue generated by iPhones.

For the record, the freshly released Apple AirPods Max cost around $550, which comes with wireless pairing. The headphones are now available for preorder and are available in silver, space grey, green, pink, and blue color variants.  

Currently, one may order them directly through Apple, where the company is offering additional perks like free engraving up to 14 characters on the headphones.

In a statement by the company, these pricey-headphones provide superior audio-quality, a 20-hour battery life, and ear cups that independently rotate and pivot. Additionally, the AirPods Max works in sync with the company’s voice-assistant ‘Siri’ and comes with a physical side control called the Digital Crown, the same mechanism which is present in Apple Watch, to control music playback.  

Moreover, these headphones come with various microphones and deploy computational audio to offer improved sound quality. They also come in a leather case and can be charged using the iPhone’s Lightning Connector.

Citing sources, the new model comes five years after Apple announced the acquisition of Beats by Dre’s headphone arm. The most advanced Beats headphones- the Beats Pro, costs nearly $150 less than Apple’s new product.  

It is worth mentioning that, during its last fiscal year, Apple Inc. generated sales worth $31 billion from accessories, including AirPods, Apple Watch, and Beats headphones. Which is more than the combined sales of the iPad and Mac.

Notably, Apple also announced that its Fitness+ workout service costing $9.99 per month will be launched on December 14, 2020. Post the announcement, the shares of Apple showcased slight changes on the New York Stock Exchange Board.

Source Credit: https://www.bloombergquint.com/technology/apple-launches-airpods-max-headphones-into-crowded-market