New Worldwide Headphones Report Q1 2017 Available from Futuresource

The worldwide headphones aftermarket grew 5.2% to 349 million units in 2016, whilst revenues grew much more at 20.2% to generate revenues worth $13.4 billion. The latest Worldwide Headphones Market Quarterly Report from Futuresource Consulting looks at the current state of the headphones landscape, the major trends to watch out for and provides a 5-year forecast, as well as addressing the latest hot topics including Lightning and USB-C connectors, true wireless and many more.

Earin is a new Swedish brand, founded in 2013 to create simple high fidelity audio devices that "fully explore the potential of sound and technology." The company is already on the market with their M-1 Wireless Earbuds, a first-generation product targeted at music listening without wires. At CES 2017, Earin introduced their new M-2 earbuds, scheduled to ship in late Q1, and featuring a combination of the latest Bluetooth LE technology with NXP's Near Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) chip.

The enterprise market, led by the government, military, and retail verticals, is also beginning to turn to hearables to foster better communication, collaboration, and workforce productivity. Market research from ABI Research forecasts enterprise hearable shipments will top one million in 2021, increasing from just 30,000 in 2016, at a CAGR of more than 108%.

There were hardly any surprises at the Apple scheduled event in San Francisco. Just a sequential confirmation of all the rumors that had already been circulating for a while. This doesn’t mean that Apple didn’t deliver on the expected performance, design and the highest engineering level in all the new products announced, from the Apple Watch Series 2, to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, all the way to a full range of audio accessories from Apple and Beats, including the new wireless Airpods and the fact that we now have officially entered the “jackless age”.

German company Bragi anticipated the announcement of Apple’s headphone-jack free iPhone 7 with an announcement of its own. While some audio companies are targeting Lightning connectivity and the benefits of direct digital connection, Bragi decided to make the best use of its technology already developed for The Dash true wireless earbuds to create a new simpler model - The Headphone - focusing on compatibility with any Bluetooth device… including the iPhone.

True wireless earbuds or hearables seem to be the focus for most of the audio brands in the consumer electronics industry. Given the technology convergence with audiology and communication solutions in this area, we shouldn’t be surprised to see announcements from company leaders in those segments as well. Now, at IFA 2016, Jabra launched its first true wireless earbuds under its new Elite franchise with the promise of superior sound, strong battery life, and advanced personalized fitness analysis.