AirPods Max teardown reveals secret customization feature

(Epitome credit: Future)

An AirPods Max teardown has uncovered a hidden feature on the noise-cancelling headphones that could potentially give users another customization option on top of the magnetic ear cushions.

iFixit discovered that the AirPods Max's headband can be easily removed, simply by pushing a SIM card eject tool or unfolded paperclip into a small hole in each earcup. Accessing this hole only requires that the ear cushions be removed, which means anyone tin can remove the headband without special tools — in turn suggesting that swappable headbands might have been an intended feature for the AirPods Max all along.

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This is backed upwards by a discovery by 9to5Mac that iOS devices can identify the "headband blazon" currently fitted to the paired AirPods Max. Once again, this would hint that Apple intends or intended for there to exist multiple headband designs. AirPods Max owners would exist able to swap them in and out to suit their tastes — like the removable straps on an Apple Watch.

Information technology's possible such functionality was simply considered, and then dropped. But iOS can still find headband type every bit of the most recent iOS 14.four beta 2 version, which could mean Apple tree hasn't ditched the concept entirely.

The ability to bandy headbands would certainly make the AirPods Max's $549 price a little easier to consume, and requite owners greater scope to customize their headphones past mixing and matching headbands with ear cushions. Since the latter are $69 for a set, it'due south unlikely new headbands would be particularly cheap either.

iFixit'due south report comes a month after its first partial AirPods Max teardown, which revealed that the headphones could show hard to prepare as the drivers and electronics are curtained past a glued-downwardly cover. However, the full teardown is more positive almost their repairability, noting that in one case this tricky first stride is consummate it's relatively piece of cake to remove and supplant the various components.

That could be reassuring news to anyone who continues to find condensation in their AirPods Max.

James is currently Hardware Editor at Rock Paper Shotgun, but earlier that was Sound Editor at Tom'due south Guide, where he covered headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes dissonance. A PC enthusiast, he besides wrote calculating and gaming news for TG, commonly relating to how hard information technology is to find graphics bill of fare stock.