We reviewed Apple's $549 AirPods Max headphones

[Engadget The Morning After logo]( Now available on your smart speaker and wherever you get your podcasts [Apple Podcasts]( | [Spotify]( | [Google Play]( | [iHeart Radio]( It's Thursday, December 24, 2020. Even if this holiday season means spending less time with family and friends than we’re used to, you can still get judged for your decisions thanks to [an AI that has been programmed to dislike your taste in music](. The “[How bad is your Spotify](” bot ingests listening data and spits out personalized dismissive insults. [How Bad is Your Spotify]( While your results may vary, it told a member of the team that “your Spotify was please-read-my-manuscript-60-dollar-white-tshirt-local-talk-radio-bumper-sticker-bitch bad.” Oh, and [Cyberpunk 2077 got another patch](. -- Richard Lawler [Apple AirPods Max review]( Expensive headphones with untapped potential [Apple Airpods Max]( The good news, according to Billy Steele: Apple’s over-ear headphones bring solid battery life, excellent sound and noise-cancelling performance that nearly matches the best Bose and Sony have to offer. However, a $550 price and an oddly designed case might put some people off. If Apple can bring spatial audio to Apple TV and add a high-res option to Apple Music (or even support Dolby Atmos Music on other services), the $550 price tag will be easier to swallow. For most people though, more affordable flagship models from Bose and Sony will suffice. [Continue reading.]( [SpaceX shows off its Starship test flight one more time]( Roll that beautiful bean footage. [Starship SN8]( Taking a victory lap around the test flight that wrapped up [quite a year for SpaceX](, the company posted a longer video of its Starship SN8 high-altitude test flight. Its high speed impact and explosion is just a footnote, as this [two-minute video]( marvels at the spectacle of a 12-story-tall vehicle executing a controlled fall and landing flip maneuver. [Continue reading.]( [Sony A7C review]( Smart, small and clumsy. [Sony A7C camera]( Sony’s $1,800 A7C is a slightly smarter version of the popular full-frame A7 III in the smaller body of the crop-sensor A6600. It has very similar image quality, shooting speeds and video specs as the A7 III, but uses Sony’s latest AI smarts to improve autofocus tracking. According to Steve Dent, “it’s a good choice for hybrid shooters that lean to the photo side who want a lightweight, modestly priced full-frame camera.” [Continue reading.]( Sponsored by StackCommerce [Save $300 on a lifetime to Jillian Michaels' fitness app]( [StackCommerce]( [Engadget Deals: Apple's new MacBook Pro M1 is $100 off at Amazon]( FYI [Apple M1 MacBook Pro]( Now you can snag the [13-inch MacBook Pro M1]( with 8GB of RAM and a spacious 512GB SSD (space grey only) for [$1,399]( — $100 off its normal price. This isn’t the lowest we’ve seen the new MacBook Pro — the [256GB model]( was discounted to $1,200 earlier this month — but it’s certainly a good deal for beefier storage. [Continue reading.]( But wait, there’s more... [Nintendo's Switch year in review shows how long you spent avoiding 2020]( [New York is the first state to temporarily ban facial recognition in schools]( [Accessibility in tech improved in 2020, but more must be done]( [Zoom may offer email to bolster its growing empire]( [Samsung’s next Chromebook may trade a 4K screen for better battery life]( ['Tetris Effect: Connected' adds VR support on PC]( [Alibaba is facing an anti-monopoly probe by Chinese regulators]( [Visa will allow select payments from Pornhub owner Mindgeek]( The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't [subscribe](. Now available on your smart speaker and wherever you get your podcasts: [Apple Podcasts]( | [Spotify]( | [Google Play]( | [iHeart Radio]( Craving even more? [Like us on Facebook]( or [follow us on Twitter](. Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? [Send us a note.]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you opted in at [engadget.com](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe from this newsletter.]( Copyright © 2020 Verizon Media. All rights reserved.