First third-party AirPods Max travel case arrives from WaterField Designs
After less than two weeks on the market, AirPods Max got its first third-party accessory on Friday with the announcement of a WaterField Designs product designed to replace Apple's much maligned Smart Case.
WaterField Designs AirPods Max Shield Case
WaterField Designs' AirPods Max Shield Case is a leather clamshell that encapsulates the entire set of headphones, not just the ear cups. It has a leather exterior, a foam core, and a plush interior to cradle your headphones.
There is an exterior waterproof zipper to carry bundled accessories, such as a charging cable. On the inside, a stretch mesh pocket with a leather pull tab takes full advantage of the negative space under AirPod Max's headband and is perfect for storing a power brick.
Interestingly, the case works with or without Apple's own Smart Case. If you choose to go without Apple's case, you can slide the AirPods Max in on their own. A set of magnetic "butterfly wings" fits right between the two ear cups, preventing them from hitting one another during travel. Like Apple's Smart Case, the wings put the headphone into an ultra-low power state to conserve battery.
If you prefer to take Apple's case along for the ride, the magnetic butterfly wings fold flat so they are out of the way so your AirPods Max with Smart Case can slide right in.
You can charge your headphones in the case by plugging in the cable and bringing down the dual zippers -- one from each side -- to huge the cable in the center.
The back of the case is an extra-large stretch mesh pocket for any additional accessories you still have left to tote.
WaterField Designs' new AirPods Max Shield Case is available to order now for $99. The first production run ships Dec. 31. They come in waxed canvas and brown chocolate leather or ballistic nylon and black, blue, or crimson leather.
WaterField Designs AirPods Max Shield Case
WaterField Designs' AirPods Max Shield Case is a leather clamshell that encapsulates the entire set of headphones, not just the ear cups. It has a leather exterior, a foam core, and a plush interior to cradle your headphones.
There is an exterior waterproof zipper to carry bundled accessories, such as a charging cable. On the inside, a stretch mesh pocket with a leather pull tab takes full advantage of the negative space under AirPod Max's headband and is perfect for storing a power brick.
Interestingly, the case works with or without Apple's own Smart Case. If you choose to go without Apple's case, you can slide the AirPods Max in on their own. A set of magnetic "butterfly wings" fits right between the two ear cups, preventing them from hitting one another during travel. Like Apple's Smart Case, the wings put the headphone into an ultra-low power state to conserve battery.
If you prefer to take Apple's case along for the ride, the magnetic butterfly wings fold flat so they are out of the way so your AirPods Max with Smart Case can slide right in.
You can charge your headphones in the case by plugging in the cable and bringing down the dual zippers -- one from each side -- to huge the cable in the center.
The back of the case is an extra-large stretch mesh pocket for any additional accessories you still have left to tote.
WaterField Designs' new AirPods Max Shield Case is available to order now for $99. The first production run ships Dec. 31. They come in waxed canvas and brown chocolate leather or ballistic nylon and black, blue, or crimson leather.
Comments
I think it's fine, and has some thoughtful little features, though it's a shame it's only available in leather.
The functional design is quite good, though; so I hope these will be the bar when other make (vegan) copies.
What I didn't notice being listed is whether being in that case will put the headphones into an ultra-low power state the way Apple's case does.
I should know that, as own an iPad 3 with a very much “gay-looking” pastel-blue smart cover, and it was never its colour (which, mind you, it shares with the knockoff I’m now using) that bothered me (again, I’m as cishet, and supposedly heteronormative, as they get, but I don’t give a flying fsck about what people think of my colour preferences and if those aren’t deemed “heteronormative” enough by their standards, offend their delicate conservative snowflake sensibilities or otherwise give them a different impression, that’s not my problem and I couldn’t care less either way), but the fact that it got dirty af and pretty much self-destructed even while having been used mostly indoors.
That is something most people, save for some crust punks or otherwise sloppy individuals, would be ashamed of carrying around regardless of their sexuality, I can assure you. And sure, maybe us Apple users could regularly wipe that crappy polymer down with IPA and whatnot, but seriously, couldn’t Apple just switch materials already? They nailed polycarbonate, aluminium and even those Apple Watch straps, but they still haven’t figured out something more durable and washable than that pressed-on microfibre+plastic+leaf-thin matte elastomer sandwich bs.
That a $500+ piece of kit comes with a case that not only WILL suffer that fate, but also doesn’t even provide full protection when it’s brand new and in one piece is just egregious, IMHO. Either go big, or go bust.
For this kind of product a designer at an Italian manufacture would be get a 5 minute short notice. But seems that for most Americans it's handsome...