Apple's standalone replacement ear cushions for its AirPods Max headphones have started arriving with customers, MacRumors reports.
The $69-per-pair ear cushions, which can be swapped out on the AirPods Max, are available in silver, black, green, sky blue, and red color options. Of these, the silver and black ear cushions are currently shipping within days. However, the green, sky blue, and red color options won't be delivered until the end of March at the earliest.
Swappable Ear Cushions
Swappable ear cushions is one of the neat features for the new AirPods Max, which Apple debuted in December, just in time for the holiday season. (Although getting your hands on a pair leading up to Christmas was a bigger challenge than snapping an iPhone shot of the real Santa Claus.)
Giving users the ability to swap these cushions provides an easy way to extend the life of the AirPods Max, and keep them looking smart, since you can easily switch them out when they start to get a bit worn around the edges. However, just as with the swappable bands for Apple Watch, they also serve to make the device more customizable.
With five color options available for the ear cushions, and the same five colors available for the main chassis of the AirPods Max, users have a total of 25 different color combinations they can pick.
If they opt for non-matching ear cushion colors, that increases the number of possible configurations to 125. While Apple hasn't made any suggestion that this will be the case, it seems possible that it could release additional color---or even patterned---options for extra ear cushions in the future.
The cushions attach to the ear cups of the AirPods Max using magnets. This makes popping different color options on and off incredibly easy---and even slightly rewarding in a tactile sense.
Available on Apple Online Store
If you want to get your hands---and, ultimately, your ears---on a pair of the AirPods Max ear cushions, you can find them through the relevant page on your local Apple Online Store. It seems possible that some brick-and-mortar Apple Stores could also feature them as part of their in-store stock. Apple Store pickup currently isn't available, though.
At $549, the wireless AirPods Max headphones are Apple's first over-the-ear headphones released as part of its ultra-popular AirPods brand. Apple now offers three tiers of AirPods, including the regular AirPods, the AirPods Pro, and the AirPods Pro Max.