AirPods Max

Apple introduced new firmware for AirPods Max (USB-C) on Monday. It builds on a recent update that brought in support for playing lossless audio via cable. 

Apple recently explained exactly how to update your AirPods firmware. The process can happen automatically, in the background, but there is a way to speed up the AirPods update process. Plus, it’s a good idea to manually check you’re running the latest version, which brings bug fixes and sometimes great new features.

Read on for more details, and find all current AirPods firmware versions, along with instructions for getting the AirPods update as quickly as possible.

Here’s how to check if your AirPods are running the latest firmware on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Plus what to do if they aren’t, and what you can do to force AirPods’ firmware to update.

The wait for Apple’s next-gen AirPods Pro might stretch out longer than anticipated. According to a respected supply chain analyst, Apple won’t refresh its flagship earbuds until 2026.

Sony’s newest flagship over-ear headphones, WH-1000XM6, promise the “best noise cancellation” in the industry and seamless wireless connectivity, the company said Thursday. The $450 cans — not cheap but less than AirPods Max’s $549 list price — should appeal to discerning Apple fans.

And Sony enlisted Post Malone as a pitchman for the new headphones, for what that’s worth. Hardly seems necessary, as this series of cans typically sits at or near the top of many best-headphones lists every year.

EarFun looks set to make some waves in the premium headphones market with its new Tune Pro cans. They could make devotees of AirPods Max and other fancy headphones sit up and take notice. The wireless noise-canceling Tune Pro headphones, scheduled for official release May 20, launch Tuesday with an early-bird deal bringing the already-low list price of $70 down to a stunning $49 for a limited time.

My review of these new headphones is coming soon. I’m already testing them. And I’ll just say this for now: Getting these great cans for under $50 seems like a miracle deal.

In a rare AirPods Max deal, Amazon offers $69 off not just one or two colors of Apple’s premium over-ear, noise-canceling headphones with USB-C charging, but all of them. It’s not the absolute lowest price we’ve seen, but picking up a pair of AirPods Max for just $479.99 ain’t bad. Especially considering we don’t see discounts on them all that often.

Sometimes a computer setup showed off on social media demonstrates just how easy and affordable it can be to add a nice set of audio gear for podcasting, streaming, Zoom meetings and more. Today’s M4 iMac workstation sets a good example. It not only includes AirPods Max, Apple’s premium over-ear headphones. It also features one of the most popular USB microphones mounted on a boom arm, plus a capable audio interface. And it’s all pretty much plug and play, so the user can start broadcasting or recording in minutes.

Apple once again released an AirPods Max firmware update that adds support for 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio and ultra-low-latency audio to the USB-C headphones.

Apple originally said it would release the free update on Monday, but it didn’t actually become available until late Wednesday.

When I came across today’s M4 iMac setup on the interwebs, I realized how rarely they come up in Cult of Mac‘s setups coverage. Out of 616 articles I’ve written about setups to date — over more than 4 years — this is only the 11th one to feature an iMac (plus a few others from before I took over the setups beat). And that small number doesn’t come from any hatred of iMacs on my part. It’s just that users seem to flaunt them much less on social media than other hardware. And they’re not top sellers for Apple.

Sometimes even an advanced user runs into roadblocks getting their computer setup where they want it. Today’s Mac mini and MacBook Air setup, owned by a French software developer, relies on cable swaps to switch between devices on a big external display. But some straightforward Mac functionality and the addition of one piece of hardware could make things much easier.

AirPods Pro 2 are — hands down — the best earbuds for iPhone users. They offer high-quality audio while also seamlessly switching between Apple devices as needed. And AirPods sales from multiple retailers mean you can pick up a pair at a sweet 32% off.

And there are more sweet discounts, including AirPods 4 at up to 22% off, and AirPods Max at up to 13% off.

In today’s M2 MacBook Pro setup, the user stores one of the best-reviewed sets of wireless, over-ear headphones of all time on a stand over to the side. The cans are almost easy to miss in the photograph, but well worth noticing. AirPods Max competitor Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, in a Mac setup, make for a relatively rare sight. But they’re often at or near the top of “best of” lists — not just for great sound and a comfortable fit, but especially for their vaunted noise cancellation.

AirPods Pro 3 keep generating buzz as we approach the launch of Apple’s next-generation premium wireless earbuds. Here’s what to expect from AirPods Pro 3, which probably will arrive in early 2025.

While the current AirPods Pro 2 model dominates the market two years after launch, rumors say its successor will bring substantial improvements and new features. Unfortunately, you probably shouldn’t expect changes to the recently updated AirPods 4 and AirPods Max in 2025. We could see updated earbuds or headphones from Apple subsidiary Beats, though.

Designer Basic Apple Guy, known for nifty wallpapers for Mac, iPhone and iPad screens, dropped his annual Apple Product Tier List Monday. The Apple product rankings give letter grades to everything the iPhone giant released in 2024. He considers M4/M4 Pro Mac mini the best of the best, by the way.

“For the third year in a row, I am once again painting a target on my head and releasing my tier rankings of the products Apple released in the 2024 calendar year,” he wrote. Undoubtedly, not everyone will love his choices, particularly those he grades in the low D and F tiers, but he takes care to explain them.

December 13, 2016: After months of anticipation and delay, Apple finally launches the first-generation AirPods. The tiny wireless earbuds arrive in Apple’s online store just in time for holiday shoppers looking for stocking stuffers.

Like so many Apple products, they aren’t the first wireless earbuds to arrive on the scene. However, AirPods’ rapid success will fuel a wireless listening revolution.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: With a slightly smarter Siri on the way in iOS 18.4, a new rumor indicates Apple might actually fix Siri once and for all … in 2026! We discuss the “LLM Siri” that supposedly will catch up with ChatGPT and other chatty competitors. As Apple refines its AI capabilities, companies like Buyback Boss are also innovating in tech resale and trade-in solutions. Find out more about the latest updates.

But the question remains: Can Apple really afford to wait that long to make its AI assistant less of a laughingstock?

Also on The CultCast:

• New rumors and renders show what the iPhone 17 lineup might look like.
• Uh-oh: We’ve got bad news about AirPods Max.
• And finally, Griffin talks up a solid — and much cheaper — stand-in for Apple’s Studio Display in an all-new Under Review.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Apple is not planning any major upgrades to AirPods Max anytime soon. The company plans to keep the headphones around in its current iteration for the “foreseeable future.”

Black Friday arrives on November 29, but many sales on tech gear kick off a week or more before that. Take Sonos, for example. You can find a range of great deals on headphones, speakers, soundbars and bundles of different products starting Thursday (November 21) in the Sonos Black Friday sale. Most of the bargains are at both Sonos and Amazon. Go to Sonos to see the whole sale on one page and grab the bundles. Follow links to either Amazon or Sonos below for various Labor Day deals on Sonos audio gear.

It’s that time of year again, Amazon Prime Day (the fall edition, October 8 and 9). So the early deals flowed starting over the weekend, with the full-on sale hitting with even better deals on Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll show you the best Amazon Prime Day deals on Apple gear, from AirPods to iPads to MacBooks to Studio Display. And that includes Apple audio subsidiary Beats, too. Click on the links below, and return to this page often — deals are subject to change, often for the better, and we’ll add more as we find them.

Update: Though prices on some items continue to fluctuate, Amazon has extended most deals beyond Wednesday.

iFixit performed teardowns on the new AirPods 4 and AirPods Max with USB-C on Wednesday, issuing repairability scores of 0 out of 10 for the tricky earbuds and 6 out of 10 for nearly unchanged headphones — and utterly destroying AirPods 4 in the process.

“AirPods have historically been a nightmare to take apart, consistently earning 0 out of 10 on our repairability scale, but their bigger and more expensive sibling the AirPods Max are bordering on repairable with the first version earning a 6 our of 10, thanks to a relatively easy disassembly process,” iFixit said.

As you probably already know, loads of new Apple hardware went on sale Friday in Apple Stores worldwide. Apple celebrated the iPhone 16 launch with photos of crowded stores from … all over. The photos and social media posts seem to contradict initial reports of lower-than-expected preorders on new iPhone 16 handsets.

Many of the pics show customers gleefully getting their new iPhones, Apple Watch Series 10 wearables, the new black titanium Apple Watch Ultra 2, AirPods 4 and new colors for AirPods Max.

See photos and videos from Apple’s iPhone 16 launch day below.

With the release of the new AirPods — which are getting rave reviews — why not trade in your old AirPods for real cash?

Apple doesn’t trade-in old AirPods, and neither will most other buyback services. However, Cult of Mac offers good money for your old AirPods, making your next upgrade more affordable. We won’t leave you waiting weeks for your eCheck, and we promise that none of the tech we receive will end up in landfill.

So, what are you waiting for? Get a quote for your old AirPods today.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We’re basking in the afterglow of Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event. Time to discuss what we like most (and least) about the new iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4 and more.

Also on The CultCast:

• That black titanium Apple Watch Ultra looks tempting. The barely upgraded AirPods Max? Not so much.
• Which new Apple products do we plan to order? The choices seem tougher this time than usual.
• And finally … the results of our “It’s Glowtime” event predictions. We have a winner! (Two, actually.).

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Is it time for you to upgrade and buy the new AirPods 4? The fourth-generation AirPods boast advanced noise cancellation features previously only available on AirPods Pro 2. Meanwhile, the refreshed AirPods Max swap out the legacy Lightning port for USB-C and bring new color options.

Now that the new headphones are available to preorder, you might be wondering whether it’s worthwhile to upgrade. That depends on what AirPods model you own. I put together a buying guide and a video to help you decide.

At Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event, the company introduced the Apple Watch Series 10, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, fourth-generation AirPods and more. It was a big event — and some people complained about the length.

If you don’t have an hour and forty minutes to spare, here it is in just 90 seconds.

Apple breezed through a few long-overdue updates to the AirPods Max during Monday’s “It’s Glowtime” event. The minor updates include new colors for Apple’s premium over-ear headphones, tweaks to their active noise cancellation feature and the removal of the Lightning port in favor of USB-C.