The AirPods Max dropped in 2020, that’s 5 years ago, making it one of the oldest products to not see a single design iteration in a significant time. Yes, sure, Apple upgraded its Lightning-powered models to USB-C recently, and gave the AirPods Max some fresh new colors, but other than that, there’s been absolutely no change to the product in half a decade. It’s time we saw a few upgrades.

Not that there’s anything broken with the AirPods Max, but it could use a few key upgrades. Users complain often that it’s heavy, can often get uncomfortable, and early adopters noticed some weird condensate on the inside after sustained listening. While Apple hasn’t officially fixed any of these problems, Parker Ortolani decided to give the AirPods Max a refresh – with a few key visual changes that all lead to a better product (except for one detail which I personally dislike).

Designer: Parker Ortolani

Ortolani’s design retains the iconic shape of the AirPods Max earcups, but transforms a major part of its otherwise memorable silhouette. Most importantly, the band on top gets a revision, ditching the metal and  tensile fabric for something more familiar. The new band gets made from the same material used on the Vision Pro, giving it flexibility within a much more lightweight and comfortable design. Sure, there has to be something inside providing structure, but the chances of it being stainless steel is low. That instantly cuts the AirPods Max 2’s headband weight while providing a wider surface for it to rest on the cranium, so you can wear the cups for longer without that strain.

A knob on the side lets you easily adjust the band’s design, lowering or raising the earcups so that they sit higher or lower (depending on how big your head is). The crown stays exactly where it is, but Ortolani adds buttons to the mix too, just to make intuitive control easier. The padded cups get upgraded to a cushion-like material, and for that weird condensation issue, vents at the bottom promote breathability, so you can worry about sweat accumulating inside the cups from listening for too long.

My only significant gripe is that Ortolani ditched the Lightning/USB-C port for a proprietary snap-on connector like the one found on the Vision Pro. To be fair, Ortolani did design this concept before the USB-C AirPods Max dropped, so it’s certainly an upgrade over the lightning port, but otherwise seems like bit of a drag. I’d personally change that, but barring this tiny little oversight, the AirPods Max 2 concept truly feels like an iterative improvement on its predecessor. The plastic bands flex so you can actually curl the headphones for easy carrying (and no more using that weird handbag).

Ortolani debuted his concept in a variety of subtle colors (barring that electric Project RED version), but I wouldn’t mind seeing a few vibrant options too. Hopefully Apple has plans to upgrade its flagship audio wearable next year, along with the AirTag, which has remained entirely unchanged in 4 full years!

The post AirPods Max 2 Concept Brings The Vision Pro’s Comfy Band Into The Mix first appeared on Yanko Design.