The Astoundingly High Price Of The New Headphones Apple Just Rolled Out In A Pandemic Is Inspiring A Lot Of Stunned Reactions

Apple unveiled the new AirPods Max today, and like most things Apple, everything sounds and looks great on paper. It’s the company’s first foray into over-the-ear headphones, and here’s the official description that’s sure to captivate audiophiles and music lovers looking to get the most out of their playlists. From Apple:

AirPods Max combine a custom acoustic design, H1 chips, and advanced software to power computational audio for a breakthrough listening experience with Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, and spatial audio. AirPods Max come in five gorgeous colors, including space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink, and are available to order starting today, with availability beginning Tuesday, December 15.

While all of that sounds well and good, things go sideways when you get to the $549 price point. While Apple products have always skewed to the more expensive side compared to its competitors, people on Twitter couldn’t help but note the juxtaposition of a billion-dollar company selling headphones for over half of a grand in the middle of a pandemic that’s caused widespread unemployment and financial struggles. It’s not exactly the best look, and the reactions were brutal.

Of course, the Apple’s announcement might actually be good news for competitors who might be enjoying the negative reactions.

And then, of course, there were the jokes about how Apple seems to have forgotten the “pod” part in AirPods Max, and people went to town clowning on the increasing size of the once tiny product.