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.
It can be used to connect AirPods Max to 3.5 mm audio sources, like the audio-out port on an airplane. Users can also connect their iOS or iPadOS device to 3.5 mm audio ports, like audio-in ports on car stereos or other speakers.
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
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