Don't delete your favorite AirPods Max feature!(Giz Mode Japan) --Yahoo! News

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Don't delete your favorite AirPods Max feature!

It should be a symbol ...Apple's wireless headphone "AirPods Max", a wireless headphone (Apple) that scributes the surrounding noise with the noise canceling function.However, there are rumors that one of the best functions is abolished here.AIRPODS MAX is expensive and hard to reach, but there is a unique feature that other headphones do not have other headphones include "Digital Crown", which is inspired by Apple Watch.This knob rotates smoothly and can make accurate adjustments with physical feedback.The design with an elegant atmosphere is also good!

Migrate to touch input?

However, according to Patently Apple, a patent was found to use a touch sensor to operate headphones similar to AirPods Max. Apple has already obtained a patent (probably for the next HOMEPOD) that performs touching the cloth material and a patent to input gestures outside the ear cup of the headphone. This patent describes the over -ear headphone type AirPods "Gesture Processing with Touch Sensor". Although it is a fairly long patent sentence, the content is that sensors, processors, and memory recognize touch operations and execute gestures. Touch control is mounted on most Bluetooth headphones, such as AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro, so it's no wonder that this was ported to AirPods Max. This patent indicates the possibility that Apple will abolish digital crowns and adopt touch input, but has not yet been adopted. I just hope that the patent has been filed and will not eventually happen.

Don't throw away the biggest advantage

Because digital crowns are the biggest features of AirPods Max, which are unique features that other companies are not in products. By rotating the dial at the top of the ear cup, you can change the volume or push it in to play / stop pause / return songs / calls Siri. On the other hand, a lot of touch operations that are mounted on recent headphones can be used without any problems, but there is a possibility that incorrect input or misunderstanding will occur. In addition, touch gestures cannot be used in extreme cold conditions. If Apple abolishes digital crowns, it may be aiming to reduce the price (in fact, AirPods Max should be reduced). AIRPODS MAX's $ 549 (Japan price: 67,980 yen) is one of the most expensive headphones in the market, and according to analyst Minchy Kuo, AirPods Max has been shipped in 2021. I predict that it is "about 1 million units". This seems to be a bad number, but only about 1%of AirPods sold overall. If the touch control leads to a significant price cut, you should welcome it, but if not, AirPods Max will lose its unique feature. Isn't it necessary to justify this high price? Correction [2022/02/09] The point where AirPods Max was described as "earphone" was modified.

Naoki Tsukamoto