Apple March Event: It's Worth Holding Out for 5 Years, AirPods Max 2 and iPhone 17e Unveiled

Apple finally released its strategic models for the first half of the year through a surprise announcement in March. In fact, the 2nd generation AirPods Max was so frustrating to fans that there was even a rumor (?) going around saying, “Isn’t the release canceled?” But looking at the configuration announced this time, I am convinced that “Apple was just timing it.”

The key to this event is not a simple spec upgrade. It is the perfect combination of hardware and ‘Apple Intelligence’.

1. AirPods Max 2: Headphones now become ‘personal interpreters’

The biggest change is the installation of the H3 chip. This chipset goes beyond audio processing alone and performs independent AI computations within the ear.

• Live Translation: This is the killer content of this presentation. When I talk to a foreigner while wearing AirPods Max, the other person's words sound in Korean almost in real time (with a delay of less than 0.5 seconds) to my ears. When I speak Korean, it is translated into the other person's language through the iPhone speaker or AirPod's external directional microphone. It's a completely different experience than the traditional way of taking out your phone and showing it. Apple has solved the moment when language barriers disappear in the most elegant way.
• Lightweight and comfortable to wear: We reduced the weight by 15% by reducing the proportion of heavy stainless steel and using high-strength aluminum alloy. It seems that the biggest problem of Max users, ‘worry about neck disc’, will be resolved to some extent.
• USB-C and lossless audio: Finally, Lightning was abandoned and USB-C was unified. Additionally, it supports lossless audio even in a wireless environment, meeting the needs of Hi-Fi users.

2. iPhone 17e (Enhanced): Rewriting the definition of entry-level

So far, there have been many reviews of the SE series that say, "Performance is good, but the design is a problem." Apple discarded the SE this time and gave it a new name, iPhone 17e. 'e' stands for 'Enhanced'.

• 120Hz Promotional Display: You can finally feel that soft snow taste even in the entry-level model. The results were so good that regular iPhone users got stomachaches.
• The power of the A19 chipset: Even though it is an entry-level model, it is equipped with the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17 series. This means you can use all the latest AI features without discrimination. Removing unwanted people from a photo or summarizing a hundreds of pages of a PDF can be done right from the palm of your hand. Considering the price of around 600,000 won, sales in the first half of this year are already guaranteed.

3. Combination of MacBook Neo and Siri 2.0

The real star of this event was the new lineup, 'MacBook Neo'. While it has the ultimate portability of the 12-inch class, the M4X chip installed inside goes all-in on NPU (Neural Network Processing Unit) performance.

Siri 2.0 running on this device is no longer a chatbot. It reads and remembers all my files, and when I say, "Select only the photos that show the sea from my last trip to Jeju Island, edit them, and upload them to the cloud," it does it all by going back and forth between apps. We just need to check the results.

4. Overall Review: ‘Intelligent Prison’ designed by Apple

Apple is not selling devices, but is planting ‘my own AI’ in the close connection between devices. This flow of listening on AirPods, commanding on iPhone, and finishing work on MacBook is so natural. In particular, the interpretation function of AirPods Max is a powerful weapon that can turn the fear of meeting someone who speaks a different language into excitement.

Although the intelligent ecosystem that Apple envisions is definitely a threat to my bank account balance, it seems difficult to deny the convenience it will bring in real life. In particular, I think the AirPod Max's interpretation function alone will be enough to justify spending this spring to some extent.