Former Apple Designer Reveals Why AirPods Max Has No Apple Logo

Former Apple hardware designer Eugene Whang has shared new details about the development of AirPods Max, including why Apple intentionally avoided placing its logo on the outside of the headphones. Whang spent 22 years at Apple before joining Jony Ive’s design firm LoveFrom, and his latest interview offers a rare look inside Apple’s hardware design culture.



In an interview with Highsnobiety, Whang explained that Apple treated AirPods Max as “three products” during development, with teams separately focusing on the headband, cushions, and carrying case. He said the cushions became one of the hardest parts of the process because Apple had to account for different head and ear shapes across users.




“The team went through hundreds and hundreds of variations,” Whang said while discussing the AirPods Max cushions and fit testing process.




Whang also revealed that Apple deliberately removed visible branding from the headphones because the company “didn’t want to brand your head.” The decision stands out because most Apple products prominently feature the Apple logo somewhere on the exterior.



The interview also revisits Whang’s early days at Apple and how he managed to get noticed by the company long before becoming part of its famous design group.




“I guessed an email. Then I called. I just rang Apple up, like 1-800-Apple,” Whang said. “It was like, why not reach out? They’re just people.”




During his two decades at Apple, Whang worked on products including the iPod nano, iPhone, AirPods, and AirPods Max. He also described Apple’s internal design culture as intense but highly collaborative, where ideas mattered more than hierarchy.



Whang later followed Jony Ive to LoveFrom, where he worked on projects tied to brands including Ferrari, Airbnb, Moncler, and OpenAI. However, after personal loss and burnout, he stepped away to focus on family and independent creative work.



The full interview also includes sketches, photos of past Apple products, and more details about how Apple’s design team approached hardware development during some of the company’s most influential years.