One More One More Thing - Apple Unveils AirPods Max

[SeraphicWings]

at $550 it's gonna be a tough competition against the Sony

 

 

[Vishera]

29 minutes ago, NotTheFirstDaniel said:

Source: https://www.thebestearbuds.com/airpods-revenue-vs-top-tech-companies/

It's still based on an assumption:

Quote

Assuming an even split of sales between Gen 1, Gen 2, and AirPods Pro, Airpods revenue was $12 billion in 2019.

 

According to Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein,a financial analyst,the Airpods business revenue in 2019 was $6 billion.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/20/airpods-a-6-billion-business-for-apple-will-be-bigger-next-year.html

 

It's less than the $11.716B of NVIDIA's annual revenue for 2019,but more or less the same as AMD's $6.731B revenue for 2019.

Sources:

https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/NVDA/nvidia/revenue

https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/AMD/amd/revenue

[vetali]

1 hour ago, Vishera said:

Sennheiser smashes them no problem.

Maybe, but the ANC is the variable. Its the reason why I went with airpods pro vs other earbuds with better quality. If the ANC is as good, if not better I have a feeling apple will gain some buyers because of that.

 

That said. 550 bucks is about 200 dollars more than I'd want to spend on these headphones. That price is yikes. Plus I prefer open backs for home listening.

[sub68]

There is no specs except "high fidelity"

so I don't trust it.

But its still has a nice appearance.

But $500 HOLY CRAP that's way to crazy but makes sense its apple.

for that much I can buy.

3 other headphones

sony CD900st

sennhiser HD 600

and sony mdr 7506 or sennhiser hd280

[WkdPaul]

$550 USD, that converts to $700+ CAD ... yikes ...

 

That's what I paid for the last 2 iPhone I had to buy !!!

 

WTF Apple ?

[Commodus]

50 minutes ago, sowon said:

Christ that's expensive... It looks more form over function.

Apple does have a knack for delivering very good sound (even the HomePod mini sounds better than it has any right to), but whether or not it's $549 good is another matter. These had better sound pristine!

[Commodus]

I would love to have these for the baller status, but if I'm at all watching my money? Not so much. I'd rather throw that bling money into a gold-hued Apple Watch.

[Blade of Grass]

38 minutes ago, Vishera said:

It's still based on an assumption:

 

According to Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein,a financial analyst,the Airpods business revenue in 2019 was $6 billion.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/20/airpods-a-6-billion-business-for-apple-will-be-bigger-next-year.html

You realize that analyst opinions are based on assumptions too?

I would be interested to see the methodology Sacconaghi used to calculate $6n of revenue in 2019 from AirPods, and more than double YoY revenue in 2020 of $15B, but alas I am not a Bernstein client so that won't be happening  regardless, don't take what an analyst tells you as the absolute truth. 

[Sauron]

"stunning"

 

they're just over-ear headphones

 

or maybe stunning refers to the price

[Vishera]

Just now, Blade of Grass said:

You realize that analyst opinions are based on assumptions too?

Considering his track record and expirience,his analysis is more likely to be correct.

[Random_Person1234]

54 minutes ago, Vishera said:

It's still based on an assumption:

 

According to Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein,a financial analyst,the Airpods business revenue in 2019 was $6 billion.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/20/airpods-a-6-billion-business-for-apple-will-be-bigger-next-year.html

 

It's less than the $11.716B of NVIDIA's annual revenue for 2019,but more or less the same as AMD's $6.731B revenue for 2019.

Sources:

https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/NVDA/nvidia/revenue

https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/AMD/amd/revenue

According to Fortune it's around $8 billion.

The only official thing from Apple on Airpods revenue I can find is this:

Quote

During a quarterly earnings call last week with investors, Apple CEO Tim Cook merely said that AirPods were in "phenomenal demand" without providing any details. He would only say that the company's wearables division, which includes AirPods and Apple Watch, accounts for more revenue than 300 of all Fortune 500 companies.

https://fortune.com/2019/08/06/apple-airpods-business/

[Blade of Grass]

Just now, Vishera said:

Considering his track record and expirience,his analysis is more likely to be correct.

Meh, I work in the industry, I don't take anyone's opinions without seeing where it came from. Show me the data or GTFO  

[LAwLz]

550 dollars for a pair of headphones are not unheard of, and Apple makes so good audio products already. I wouldn't be surprised if they have really good audio quality.

I wouldn't want to pay 550 dollars for these headphones though.

 

They are ugly as balls.

The case you get with them seems really bad. It barely protects the headphones at all. I would much rather have the case from the Sony XM3 or Bose CQ 35 II. Those cases protects the entire headphones. This case only protects the earcups and leaves the (probably) fragile headband completely exposed.

Are they completely wireless, with no option to plug them in? I like the option of using a wire. Also, why do they use the lighting port? That sucks ass.

[Vishera]

Just now, Random_Person1234 said:

According to Fortune it's around $8 billion.

The only official thing from Apple on Airpods revenue I can find is this:

https://fortune.com/2019/08/06/apple-airpods-business/

That's a prediction before Q4 even began.

Quote

This year, the company will sell 50 million AirPods, at $159 for a pair, according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. That would translate into nearly $8 billion in revenue.

Quote

August 6, 2019

 

[mousesnob]

1 hour ago, sowon said:

Christ that's expensive... It looks more form over function.

I have no source for this but..

 

Im 99% sure that the vast majority (non enthusiasts) who buy audio products dont care at all about sound quality unless its is absolutley horrible.

[Vishera]

Just now, mousesnob said:

Im 99% sure that the vast majority (non enthusiasts) who buy audio products dont care at all about sound quality unless its is absolutley horrible.

In this class of products there is too much bass in everything,it's annoying as hell since the excessive bass really ruins the expirience,especially when there is a dialogue and a bit of music - in which the music over powers the dialogue so you have a hard time hearing it,both in movies and video games.

[CephDigital]

They're £549 here in the UK.

 

Just for reference, Sony XM4s cost £349.99

Sennheiser Momentum 3 cost the same as the XM4s (£300 w/ student discount)

Heck, XM3s still sell for £220 on Amazon.

 

Who in their right mind would pay nearly DOUBLE the price for something that lacks basic features instead of something much more functional?

[AndreiArgeanu]

550$ and it uses lightning. I can't wait to see the lack of compatibility with anything that's not an iPhone. Let's hope these are actually worth 550$ and not just cheaper headphones with a fat apple tax.

[Commodus]

1 minute ago, AndreiArgeanu said:

550$ and it uses lightning. I can't wait to see the lack of compatibility with anything that's not an iPhone .

They're wireless, so they'll work with any reasonably modern device that supports Bluetooth. Lightning is only really for charging and the off chance you'll want to plug these into a physical jack (likely using a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter, not Lightning to Lightning).

[Lord Vile]

5 minutes ago, Commodus said:

They're wireless, so they'll work with any reasonably modern device that supports Bluetooth. Lightning is only really for charging and the off chance you'll want to plug these into a physical jack (likely using a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter, not Lightning to Lightning).

Issue is sound quality though with wired being a lot better if you can drive them. Am genuinely curious though. Post covid I might go to a store, see what they're like and maybe get some if they handily beat my Sennheiser Bluetooth set. 

[AndreiArgeanu]

6 minutes ago, Commodus said:

They're wireless, so they'll work with any reasonably modern device that supports Bluetooth.

From what I can recall there were various issues, or lack of features when it came to connecting air pods to an android phone, I kind of expect these to have the same issues.

 

7 minutes ago, Commodus said:

Lightning is only really for charging and the off chance you'll want to plug these into a physical jack

If you spend 550$ for a pair of headphones it's kind of expected to have such features considering that most people won't spend 550$ on these for casual listening. Still, we'll have to see how they compare before drawing any conclusions.

[Commodus]

1 minute ago, AndreiArgeanu said:

From what I can recall there were various issues, or lack of features when it came to connecting air pods to an android phone, I kind of expect these to have the same issues.

The main things are simply that they don't pair as easily and, of course, don't offer Siri. You can also point to a lack of software controls on non-Apple phones and computers, but it's more about convenience than whether or not they work properly.

[NotTheFirstDaniel]

24 minutes ago, CephDigital said:

Who in their right mind would pay nearly DOUBLE the price for something that lacks basic features instead of something much more functional?

Because you get all the "Apple features" like Spatial Audio (I'm not sure if those models have something like that yet/already) and a better build, all of which is apparently worth an extra $200. Some people may be willing to make the trade off, but like I said in my OP, is it worth it to the majority of people? Will this be another AirPods Pro or will this just be a HomePod?

 

Personally, I'm definitely not buying these. For them to even be on my radar they A) have to be a "sport" model for $349, and B) have to get rid of that fucking digital crown. It literally pisses me off being there, it ruins what would honestly be a nice retro design...

[Teddy07]

1 hour ago, SeraphicWings said:

at $550 it's gonna be a tough competition against the Sony

Not really

An Apple logo has way more bragging right than a Sony logo.

[RejZoR]

People think everyone buys Apple stuff just because of logo. Maybe shallow Americans with their stupid fashion brands and endless need to flash brands around to feel special. I bought AirPods 2 because they are one of rare remaining earphones without garbage a** silicone tips that I absolutely despise. And I like the way EarPods that came with iPhone XR sounded so I assumed AirPods 2 sound the same. And they do. And I only use them on Windows 10 systems. Only used them with iPhone once when i bought them to check the magical pairing, but since then, never used them with phone. And I'd buy them again. I just hope Apple will keep this classic design around and won't replace them entirely with dumb silicone "Pro" model... If you like that, have it, just leave my AirPods classic design around.