Apple Defends Design Of AirPods Max’s Smart Case, Often Likened To A Bra
Image via Apple
Apple recently rolled out yoga mats, swim goggles, and—if you’re on the side of the amused internet—what looks to be lingerie.
The US$549 price tag of the over-the-ear AirPods Max is one thing, but social media users also couldn’t shake off how much its Smart Case resembles a bra. Hoping to normalize carrying iCups around, Apple’s design team has stepped in to justify the bag’s peculiar appearance.
Evans Hankey, Apple’s vice president in industrial design, recently spoke to Japanese news site Casa Brutus about the case’s design and how it is built for portability. “We travel a lot, so we know how important it is to fit [the headphones] in a bag,” said Hankey in a statement translated to English. “So it is extremely storage-efficient.”
She also described that the 3D case is constructed minimally with a single sheet. “Our case has a structure in which one sheet is cut out and fastened in several places so that it becomes three-dimensional,” Hankey added.
One point of contention, apart from the carrier’s resemblance to a bra, is how the device’s headband is exposed and sticks out of the case. Hankey explained that protecting the headband isn’t necessary, and the lack of coverage only speaks of the gadget’s durability.
Video snippet via Apple
“[Protection] is not necessary… because it is made strong in the first place,” reads the machine translation of her statement.
She added that, “thanks to the exposed band,” it doubles as a bag handle, allowing for the gadget to be easily carried around.
Apple described during the unveiling of the AirPods Max that when the device is stored in the Smart Case, it takes on an “ultra-low power state that preserves charge.” Some might agree that this brings a push-up in the value of the case.
[via Cult of Mac, cover image via Apple]
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