AirPods Max

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of my AirPods Max, but I also bought them in early 2021 when they were Apple’s shiniest and newest product. Yes, they’ve been around for that long — they were released nearly three years ago. To put that in perspective, the only older AirPods that Apple still sells are the 2019 second-generation AirPods, and those are considered a “discount” brand for those who really don’t want to spend $50 more for the 2021 AirPods 3.

By comparison, the AirPods Max are still retailing for an eye-watering $549 at Apple, and you won’t find any Black Friday deals that take them down below the usual discounts we see at other times of the year; even Amazon has only chopped $100 off the regular price. Meanwhile, you can pick up the class-leading Sony WH-1000XM5 for $328 or Bose’s brand-new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones for $379, both of which are 2023 releases.

That’s not to say the AirPods Max don’t work great, and if you’re lucky enough to find a deep discount or even get a pair as a holiday gift, go ahead and enjoy them, but all reports suggest that we’ll see a second-generation model by this time next year, complete with a USB-C port that might even finally handle lossless digital audio.