Today Apple announced a forthcoming firmware update for AirPods Max with USB-C that will enable lossless audio.As part of that news, the company has now started selling a new cable to enable wired playback on its newest AirPods Max with a standard headphone jack.New firmware will support wired playback, and Apple now sells a USB-C to 3.5 mm cable Last fall Apple announced new AirPods Max with very minimal changes.
there were new colors a USB-C port instead of Lightning and support for Personalized Spatial Audio That’s it.For many of us who were expecting a proper AirPods Max 2-level update, it was a big disappointment.That letdown was amplified by a key regression that the new USB-C model brought.
While the original AirPods Max could be used for wired playback with a special Lightning to 3.5 mm cable, there was no such cable and no such hardware support for wired playback over USB-C in the new model.Fortunately, that’s changing with next month’s firmware update.And now, in preparation for the update, Apple has today started selling a new USB-C to 3.5 mm audio cable.
The new cable costs $39 and is available on the Apple Store now.Apple writes: If you’d like to connect your AirPods Max to a device using its included USB-C cable, that will work too.But if you need to connect to a 3.5 mm headphone jack, this new cable will be a great way to do that.
Hopefully third-party cables, which are available at a much lower cost, will work too once the new firmware ships, but we’ll have to wait and see on that.Does wired playback on AirPods Max make a big difference to you, or not? Let us know in the comments.Best AirPods Max deals and accessories AirPods Max with USB-C (currently $479 on sale, down from $549) Spigen Premium Stand for AirPods Max USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone cable AirFly SE for connecting AirPods to in-flight headphone jacks You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day.
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