If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

AirPods Pro 2 was already perfect. I don't know why Apple chose to "upgrade" it whereas AirPods Max, AirTags, and the Studio Display are all over due for an upgrade.

> I don't know why Apple chose to "upgrade" it

Of course you do. If they do not constantly upgrade, there are no new sales. Charts must go up, not stay flat. As an example, the venerable Technics 1200 turntable only had a few version releases for fairly minor cosmetic usability items. The core functionality did not change since it was designed. Those versions came with years in between. You buy a pair of those, and you only replaced them when they were stolen. If something broke, you repaired it. Apple's share holders will not be happy with buy once keep forever items.

I don't think it is as simple as saying the demand for constant growth is the reason for this.

Even if a manufacturer was a non-profit, if they make a product that never upgrades and can be repaired indefinitely, eventually the demand for new products will drop enough that they simply can't afford to keep making new ones. You can't maintain a manufacturing pipeline for small amounts of product, because there are fixed costs that can't be reduced with reduced production.

I could always have more ANC, I want feedforward ANC so strong that I don’t have to listen to showtimers on the subway (still not there yet)