Apple says a new firmware update, coming as part of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4, will bring lossless audio and ultra‑low latency audio come to AirPods Max. The update, expected in April 2025, means AirPods Max will become the only headphones that enable musicians to both create and mix in Personalised Spatial Audio with head tracking according to Apple.
The company says lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio enable music creators to fully utilise AirPods Max throughout their entire professional workflow on Logic Pro and other music creation apps. Using the USB-C cable, AirPods Max will become the only headphones that enable musicians to both create and mix in Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking.
If you’re still rocking a 3.5mm headphone input, Apple has also introduced a USB-C to 3.5-mm audio cable for $65. The new feature will also be available if you connect directly over USB-C to your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
The big question is whether the majority of us will be able to tell the difference. The most common audio formats around, MP3 and AAC (Apple’s Advanced Audio Codec) use compression that results in some data loss. And while music in Apple’s extensive library is also encoded in ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) most people will be hard pressed to tell the difference even if they’re wearing a pair of $899 AirPods Max.
The value of this update is really focussed on producers rather than causal listeners. Which makes sense given Apple’s recent acquisition of Pixelmator. It seems that Apple is, once again, turning its focus towards creators after over a decade of focus on other users.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.