#Apple unveils AirPods Max, a $549 pair of headphones

Apple’s long-awaited premium headphones have finally arrived.

The iPhone maker on Tuesday made a surprise announcement revealing the new AirPods Max, a sleek headset aimed at customers with high-end audio tastes.

The $549 headphones are priced significantly higher than flagship models from Bose and Sony, with Apple promising that the “custom acoustic design” of the AirPods Max will “deliver the ultimate personal listening experience.”

Like the recent iPhone 12 line, the AirPods Max will come in a variety of colors, including silver, black, blue, green and red.

The luxury cans will also feature the noise cancellation and spatial audio that helped make last year’s AirPods Pro so popular.

Apple says that the headphones are designed “to distribute weight and reduce on-head pressure,” and that the cups attach to the headband through “a revolutionary mechanism” that allows a custom fit for each wearer.

Like the Apple Watch, the AirPods Max will feature a small digital crown for users to control volume and playback.

The release of the AirPods Max, which are available now, arrives after Apple dropped the complimentary headphones from its iPhone packaging this year.

Shares of Apple opened trading up 0.5 percent following the announcement.