March 16 (Reuters) - Apple ( AAPL ) on Monday unveiled

the second generation of its premium AirPods Max over-ear

headphones at $549, more than five years after the first

version's launch.

The update marks Apple's ( AAPL ) first major refresh of the over-ear

headphones since their 2020 debut, as the company adds new

features and improved noise cancellation to compete more

aggressively in the premium headphones market.

Currently, the segment is largely dominated by Japan's Sony

Group ( SONY ), Bose and Sennheiser.

Powered by Apple's ( AAPL ) in-house H2 chip, which runs the latest range

of AirPods devices, the new headphones will be available to

order from March 25 in more than 30 countries, with retail

availability beginning early next month, the company said.

Upgrades to the AirPods Max 2 include better active noise

cancellation, an improved microphone system and a range of new

features including Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness and

Live Translation.

Live translation, first introduced on the AirPods Pro 3 in

September, enables users to translate in-person conversations

across languages using Apple Intelligence, the company's

artificial intelligence platform.

AirPods Max 2 also supports high-resolution lossless audio

when connected via USB-C, targeting music creators and

professional users who require higher fidelity audio, Apple ( AAPL )

said.