Apple changes AirPods Max under warranty for new ones, but without ear pads

Apple sells AirPods Max for 62,990 rubles, and although the headphones are generally non-separable, you can replace something in them yourself – these are ear pads, which, if you wish, are bought in the company’s online store for 7,490 rubles. Apparently, Apple decided to take advantage of this, and if, for example, you hand over the AirPods Max under warranty, you will be given new headphones in return, but … without ear cushions… Is it strange? Yes, considering that AirPods are already supplied with nozzles under the Apple warranty. So what happens, in Cupertino they decided to save money again?

Apple doesn’t change AirPods Max ear cushions unless they have a problem

One of the readers of 9to5Mac edition shared its history of replacing AirPods Max under warranty. Shortly after purchasing, he discovered a problem with the Digital Crown that was not working properly. He went to Apple for warranty and was counting on the company to repair the earbuds and return them, but instead got a new pair of AirPods Max. No ear pads.

AirPods replacement under warranty

On the one hand, it looks strange – if, for example, you have a problem with the iPhone battery, they won’t send you a phone without a display, do you? But on the other hand, Apple’s move looks quite logical. If you don’t have problems with the earpads themselves, you can remove them from the earbuds when sending in for repair due to their modular design. If the issue is with the earpads, you may only need to ship without the earpieces themselves.

In any case, Apple itself warns whether you need to send ear pads along with AirPods Max when replaced under warranty, or not. Another user ran into connectivity issues with their AirPods Max and took a close look at the box in which they had to send the headphones to Apple for diagnosis. He confirmed that since his problem was directly related to the headphones, Apple did not force him to ship ear pads or a case.

Apple ships a box like this for you to ship your AirPods Max for warranty repair

Of course, the company could meet halfway, and since it is changing the entire headphones, then send them in full set, with ear pads. This would leave the user with two sets of ear pads that he could use in the future. And I would not pay if that extra 7 450 rubles per pair.

Should you buy AirPods Max

Already several users and one reader in our chat have encountered some issues when using AirPods Max (for example, condensation that forms with prolonged wear), but this is not surprising – Apple often does this when releasing completely new devices. Otherwise, AirPods Max users are happy with the purchase.

The most common complaint is the lack of a shutdown button – the headphones can be turned off only by placing them in the same case, or using a pair of magnets, finding the points to which they need to be applied. Because of this, someone’s headphones are discharged by only 2% in 8-9 hours, while someone else’s headphones lying on a table or nightstand have enough charge for two or two and a half hours.

Apple’s VP of Marketing Bob Borchers and industrial designer Eugene Wang recently said that Apple worked on AirPods Max for four years, tried hundreds of options. They decided not to use the sensor elements, since they could not refine them to the ideal. And they’ve been replaced by the Digital Crown, a time-tested control already perfected in the Apple Watch.