Skip to main content

Gucci’s outrageous $980 AirPods Max case doubles as a purse

Apple announced its first-ever pair of headphones in the form of the AirPods Max for $549 in 2020. The price was high for a pair of active noise canceling (ANC) headphones for a mainstream market, as Sony’s and Bose’s flagship ANC models cost between $350-$400. At $200 more, the AirPods Max turned many heads. And luxury Italian brand Gucci has unveiled an even more atrociously priced case for the Apple headphones. The accessory is priced at $980 — almost double the price of the headphones themselves.

While you can always opt for the bra-like official AirPods case, there is a new expensive accessory in town that would allow you to carry your high-end headphones with more elegance. Almost a thousand bucks is a lot of dollars to pay for an accessory. Still, if you are interested, you can buy Gucci’s AirPods Max case on the company’s website.

Gucci's AirPods Max case in brown color.
Gucci

There seems to be some doubt as to whether or not the Gucci case contains the magnets needed to switch off the AirPods Max, the way Apple’s own case does when you insert the headphones. If it does not, you’ll probably have to recharge the headset every 20 hours. You may also run into headaches as you try to answer your phone — if an iPhone believes a set of headphones is connected wirelessly, it will repeatedly try to route calls and music to that device instead of using its own internal mics and speakers.

As per the company (via 9To5Mac), its ‘Ophidia’ case for the AirPods Max is designed with vintage and contemporary design aspects. Coming to the design elements, the super expensive AirPods Max case is lined in neoprene and viscose, which is supposed to have a low environmental impact. You also get brown leather details with a snap closure button and a gold-tone ‘Double-G’ logo. Yes, you read that right — this insanely expensive headphone case doesn’t have a hint of real gold anywhere. The small luxury handbag case also has a shoulder strap to appeal to a wider audience.

Gucci says that its design brings “vintage and contemporary together through its archive-inspired design elements.” If that wasn’t enticing enough, it goes on to say that the case plays with the “contrast between past and present, the inside of the accessory is printed with ‘Hodiernum’ — a Latin word that means ‘belonging to the present day.’”

Editors' Recommendations

Prakhar Khanna
Prakhar writes news, reviews and features for Digital Trends. He is an independent tech journalist who has been a part of the…
Amazon’s new $50 Echo Buds take aim at Apple’s AirPods
Amazon's new Echo Buds for 2023.

Amazon is back with a new set of Echo Buds. Though they bear the same name as the first- and second-gen Echo Buds, these new Echo Buds offer an entirely different, semi-in-ear, stem-based design that has more in common with Apple's second-gen AirPods than it does with Amazon's previous designs. The latest Echo Buds are also surprisingly affordable at just $50.

While the decision to keep the name the same may be confusing, the decision to create a set of wireless earbuds with a semi-in-ear shape makes a lot of sense. Fully in-ear buds like the second-gen Echo Buds, the AirPods Pro, and Sony's WF-1000XM4, provide distinct advantages for sound quality and they also set the stage for active noise canceling (ANC). However, lots of people find these earbuds uncomfortable to wear. The silicone tips increase the sensation of having an object wedged in your ear, and some folks complain of a sucking feeling, especially when ANC is turned on.

Read more
This touchscreen AirPods case is the worst thing I’ve seen all week
Apple AirPods Pro 2 sitting beside iPhone 14 and charging case.

If you know me even the slightest bit, you’ll know that I’m a big Apple fan. I have an iPad, Apple Watch, and multiple Macs. And even though I’ve been diving into the world of Android phones, my primary device is still an iPhone 14 Pro. I also always have my AirPods Pro 2 with me, whether that’s at home or when I’m out at Disney parks — they're always on me in some way or another.

But as much as I like Apple, there are certainly some things that will make me scratch my head and go “Huh?” The latest one is what appears to be a new patent held by Apple that could lead to an AirPods case with an integrated interactive touchscreen.
The patent does what now?

Read more
AirPods Pro 2 may finally offer this charging feature
Apple AirPods Pro 2 inside their charging case.

Continuing with its move toward USB-C, Apple looks set to incorporate the connector into the charging case for its AirPods Pro earbuds, according to respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

The second generation of Apple's top-of-the-line earbuds, which the tech giant released in September last year, features a Lightning charging case. But Kuo, who has called it right in the past when it comes to Apple’s plans, said in a recent tweet that Apple is “likely” to start selling a USB-C charging case with Apple’s premium buds, adding that it could start shipping as early as the second quarter of this year.

Read more