Matthew Panzarino’s ‘Not a Review’ First Look at AirPods Max

Matthew Panzarino, writing at TechCrunch:

The lack of real folding options on these, the material in the netting and the pretty definitive “one way” these are meant to articulate means that I do not see these being a regular travel companion for me, on initial pass. Oh, and the case is just as ridiculous as it looks. Sorry. The construction here is just as dodgy as the MagSafe Duo. It feels cheap, and like it will dirty easily, not exactly what you want from a “travel case”. And it looks like a butt.

The sound is impressive. Don’t worry about this being in the Beats region of a bass-heavy crowd pleaser. Though there is plenty of low end, this is a more nuanced affair, with crisp delivery across the spectrum.

I can’t tell if the case looks more like a butt or a bikini top. But it really does seem like material that will stain easily, especially the colors other than Space Gray.

The Beats comparison brings up a point I’ve been meaning to mention — the Beats hardware teams still seems to operate as an independent subsidiary within Apple. It’s not just a name Apple puts on certain Apple-designed headphones. It’s a company that still makes Beats-designed headphones. And I get the distinct impression that Apple’s own audio engineering team doesn’t think much of the Beats products.

★ Friday, 11 December 2020