True Wireless Designs: A Case of Loose-Fit Earbuds

When both Amazon and Microsoft promoted their own designs and vision for the true wireless earbuds category, what I found most interesting about Microsoft's Surface Earbuds was the design itself. Yes, they have that big round surface that will confer a distinct "iconic" look to the user - just like the AirPods do in a different way - but inside they also use the loose-fit design that Apple adopted since the EarPods (and which Bose pioneered). Just like Apple's design, they do not go inside the ear and do not completely block the ear canal.

During a special event promoted to announce a new generation of Amazon Alexa products, technologies and solutions, Amazon introduced an all-new line-up of Echo devices to expand its Alexa voice assistant ecosystem in the home and now also on-the-go. The all-new Echo Buds, using ANC technology licensed from Bose, join the Echo Auto as another option to take Alexa outside the home. The new Echo speakers also include the Echo Studio, engineered in collaboration with Dolby and supporting HRA and immersive audio reproduction.

Consumer appetite for premium headphones continues to grow, with global revenues rising five times faster than shipments in Q1 2019, according to the latest market tracker report from Futuresource Consulting. As the CE Team at Futuresource highlights in its latest update of the Worldwide Headphone Market Report, headphone market revenues have reached $5.9 billion. True wireless maintained its ascendance, outperforming all other form factors with growth of 223% in units and 188% in value.

True wireless headphones sales have enjoyed extraordinary growth in the past year. After a very successful Q4 2018, which saw shipments reach a total equal to the previous three quarters combined, Q1 2019 witnessed year-on-year growth of 223% in units and 188% in revenue. Consumers appear to enjoy the freedom that truly wireless products bring. Although, the continued domination by AirPods does still mean that the market remains a largely Apple phenomenon.

Market research firm Futuresource Consulting released its latest Headphone Market Insights Report which highlights how consumer demand for 'true wireless' headphones was up 182% in Q4 2018. The global headphones market continued its meteoric rise in Q4 2018, with revenue growth outpacing unit shipments by a substantial margin. The firm’s latest headphones tracking quarterly report reveals worldwide Q4 headphones shipments grew by 5.5% in units and 54% in revenues year-on-year.

Predicting that over 50% of all wireless headphones will incorporate Hearable Voice assistants, touch sensors and other interface technologies, a new report by Juniper Research forecasts that hearables will become the new standard for personal audio in under 5 years. The new report from Juniper has found that there will be an estimated 417 million hearables in use by 2022. This includes fitness-focused devices, hearing augmentation and purely audio-focused devices.

Bose made two important announcements on its popular range of headphones. Entering a new increasingly popular category, Bose introduced its SoundSport Free truly wireless earbuds, designed especially for active users that want to workout with music. At the same time, the Massachusetts company updated its iconic QC35 noise-cancelling headphones to become the first to offer voice access to Google Assistant, and introducing new settings to control environmental noise.