Apple is currently negotiating a potential settlement with an AirPod Max buyer who argues that a possible design flaw —dubbed “condensation death”—allows water to easily build up in the headphones.
The case, which was originally filed in 2021, is currently working its way through a California court, with Apple and the plaintiff —John Keeley—negotiating a potential settlement outside of court. Keeley argues that their damaged AirPods Max headphones were designed in such a way that allows easy water ingress after wearing them for an hour, which has affected performance.
“A latent and material defect causes condensation to accumulate inside the ear cups of the AirPods Max, often after only an hour or several hours of normal use (the “Defect”). In addition to affecting the overall experience and value of the AirPods Max, the Defect also causes some consumers to experience performance problems such as degraded or no sound in one or both of the ear cups, failure to detect the user’s ears and of the active noise cancellation (“ANC”) function, and/or battery charging issues.” The original filing claims.
Keeley isn’t alone. As 404 Media points out, Apple’s forums and social media is alight with similar complaints from frustrated AirPod Max owners. Sweat is allegedly leaking into the headphone drivers through the speaker holes, which is causing some old-school water damage.
Users have been complaining about this since the AirPods Max landed in 2020. One Apple Discussion forum poster claimed that liquid accumulates after an hour of wearing the AirPods, while another said that the best solution is to plug holes with a bit of scotch tape. Another owner, like the lawsuit, claims that the they had connection issues which they blamed on the alleged condensation problem.
Apple hasn’t officially said anything about these customer complaints (nor did it respond to my request for comment). But Apple’s lawyers argued in court that the company repeatedly tells customers not to get the headphones wet because they’re not waterproof or water resistant.
Specifically, in response to Keeley’s claim of water ingress after taking the AirPods out for a walk, Apple’s lawyers challenged what kind of walk it was. Whether it was an “arduous hike up the hills of San Francisco to Twin Peaks,” and then reiterating the point that Apple advises owners to avoid any activities that could “get moisture in any openings.” The implication here seems to be that you shouldn’t exercise with your AirPods Max, or do any activity that makes you sweat.
But, Apple’s lawyers also argue that the level of moisture that users have reported building-up is normal. That the droplets of condensation are more noticeable because the ear cups are easily detachable. Ricky Panesar, founder of iCorrect, thinks that this isn’t normal and in fact a design flaw in the AirPods Max.
“That’s a design flaw. If liquid is getting through and destroying the internals, stopping them from working, they’re not connecting and you’re damaging the drivers internally, that’s a design flaw. There’s liquid protection in Apple Watches . The way that they [Apple] secure the micro electronics in an Apple Watch is that they cover the logic board with a water resistant coating, meaning that you could dunk it in water and it shouldn’t break. They haven’t used that technology here [in the AirPods Max] because they’re breaking.”
Both parties are still negotiating a possible settlement, with the deadline to file a request for dismissal extended to September 6th 2023.
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