Apple has announced new updates to its existing offerings, starting with the AirPods Max. The headphones will introduce lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio from next month, unlocking the highest-quality audio across music, various forms of entertainment, and content creation.
The 24-bit, 48kHz addition preserves the integrity of original recordings, allowing music to be enjoyed the way it was created through over 100 million songs on Apple Music. As the world’s first headphones to offer support for creating and mixing in Personalised Spatial Audio with head tracking, creative enthusiasts and professionals are also able to seamlessly record and mix without compromising on fidelity.
For gamers and live streamers, the AirPods Max promises reduced lag time with ultra-low latency audio, allowing for a smoother and more immersive experience. The free firmware update launches in April 2025 for iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 for AirPods Max with USB-C.
Separately, the Cupertino giant has rolled out visionOS 2.4 for the Vision Pro. The latest patch adds the first wave of Apple Intelligence features to the mixed-reality headset, including Writing Tools that proofread, rewrite, and summarise text, Image Playground for creating visual images with text prompts, natural language search that finds a specific photo or moment in a video from descriptions, and Smart Reply in Messages and Mail.
The new Spatial Gallery app, boasting curated spatial photos, videos, and panorama, serves as a platform to discover stories and experiences from iconic brands, go behind the scenes with Apple Originals like Severance, The Studio, and The Morning Show, and listen to conversations with various artists, from Charli xcx to Keith Urban. Additionally, owners can now access information about their Vision Pro from their iPhone and get recommendations and tips.
To facilitate the guest experience, starting a Guest User session gives users the option to restrict or change app access, and use View Mirroring with AirPlay from the iPhone. The free update is available now, though features may be limited for some regions or languages.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
HSALS
