The Short Version
Former Apple designer Eugene Whang revealed AirPods Max development began in 2015, spanning five years and hundreds of variations, including a deliberate choice to omit Apple's logo.
Former Apple designer Eugene Whang, who spent 22 years at the company before joining Jony Ive's firm LoveFrom, revealed that AirPods Max went through hundreds of design variations across five years of development starting in 2015. The no-logo decision was deliberate: the team refused to brand someone's head. Five years to solve a headband is either obsessive craft or a cautionary tale about perfectionism, depending on how comfortable yours feels.