AirPods Max headband looks like it could be swappable

Apple could potentially sell interchangeable headbands for the AirPods Max in a variety of colors, according to MacRumors, as it's been discovered the band can easily be removed using just a SIM card ejector.

Customization — Taken with what we already know, the $550 headphones feature a surprising amount of modularity. The ear cushions are magnetically attached, and Apple will soon begin selling interchangeable cushions in a variety of colors. Now, a Chinese YouTube channel has revealed that even the headband is similarly easy to remove.

To do so, you first remove the magnetic ear cushions and fold the ear cups flat. After that, you just insert a SIM card ejector tool, like the one included with all iPhones, into a small hole above the speaker.

"When fully assembled, a little poke in just the right place compresses two tiny springs inside the joint, freeing the clamp that secures the headband," wrote a user on the MacRumors forums. With the headband removed, a small connector is revealed on each end, presumably for transferring power and data between the cups.

High touch details — Most studio-quality headphones do not make it possible to remove the band specifically because it contains this functionality. The fact that the AirPods Max seem to be designed to remove the headband so elegantly just shows how much engineering work has gone into the product. It's easy to be annoyed by the price, but they really are impressive from a design perspective.

Customization was always expected to be a standout feature of the AirPods Max, but Bloomberg has previously reported that Apple dropped the concept of replaceable headbands to speed up production. Based on these new findings that seems accurate. It's not clear if there's any reason why they couldn't start selling them now, however.

Apple could likely stand to make a lot of money if it begins selling interchangeable headbands that customers can swap out with the seasons. The replaceable ear cups go for $69.