Apple may not launch new AirPods Max any time soon, here's why

AirPods Max

Apple’s premium over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max, have not received a significant hardware refresh since their debut nearly five years ago, leaving the product in an unusual position within the company’s lineup.

While the headphones continue to attract a niche but visible user base, Apple has shown little sign of prioritising development of a successor. According to a report by Bloomberg, the AirPods Max remain too popular to discontinue, yet not commercially strong enough to warrant the scale of investment Apple puts into its more widely adopted audio products. And it is unlikely that Apple brings an updated model any time soon, according to the report.

The only update in recent years came in 2024, when Apple quietly replaced the Lightning connector with USB-C to meet European Union regulatory requirements. No other improvements in sound quality, design, or performance were introduced at that time.

Instead, Apple’s audio division has focused resources on the in-ear AirPods range, which has become one of the company’s best-selling accessories and is refreshed more frequently. Apple has also directed attention to integrating speakers and microphones across its ecosystem, from MacBooks and iPads to the HomePod line.

The lack of progress on the AirPods Max marks an unusually long gap between iterations for an Apple product, especially in the fast-moving personal audio market. Competitors such as Sony and Bose continue to release new flagship headphones every two years with improvements in noise cancellation, battery life and audio fidelity.

For now, fans of Apple’s most expensive headphones may face a long wait for a true next-generation model.