Skullcandy Challenges Wasteful Battery Production with Ecobuds Sustainable Earbuds

Skullcandy announced its newest EcoBuds True Wireless Earbuds, which are touted as the brand's most sustainable product to date. The bold new design introduces a battery-free charging case, and boasts a 50% lower carbon footprint than similar products. Not only are the Skullcandy Ecobuds made with recycled materials, the company suggests that its new Bluetooth 5.2 earbuds will be perfectly fine working up to 8 hours a day, while 10 minutes of charging will give users 2 hours of playtime.

Qualcomm just published its 2023 State of Sound report. The focus for this year's survey is on evolving consumer uses of wireless audio devices, from traditional use cases like music listening, voice calls and watching video, to the more complex use of devices in the workplace, for gaming and hearing enhancement. As usage increases, highlights indicate new consumer priorities from their audio devices.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) released the 2023 US Consumer Technology Ownership & Market Potential (OMP) Study, showing that despite complex economic times, 84% of US households plan to purchase tech products in the next 12 months. Mobile and wireless tech products lead the categories of tech products consumers want to buy. A notable trend is the fact that ownership of wireless personal audio products now exceeds wired devices.

Predicting what trends we’ll see in hearables in 2023 seems like a fool’s errand. With the release of the OTC hearing aid rule in the United States, these are predicated on devices that can be comfortably worn for long stretches of the day in a form factor that people are willing to wear in social settings. Without that foundation, these interesting and useful applications will not achieve mass-adoption. Anticipating CES 2023, Andrew Bellavia looks for the Next Big Thing in Hearables and the Multiple Sides of Comfort.

If you are an audio industry professional, unless you have been on holiday on some remote island without Internet, you must have noticed that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally issued the long-expected rule establishing Over-the-Counter (OTC) hearing aids - five years after the original OTC hearing aid act was signed into law on August 18, 2017. Will hearing aid companies really adjust and understand "consumer" behaviors? How do hearables fit in that environment? Could these products be influenced by "brand loyalty"?

Reacting to the fact that streaming music services have started to offer lossless music streaming options, Qualcomm has now extended its aptX Adaptive set of technologies - supported by its latest Snapdragon Sound processors - to also include a CD-quality lossless option over Bluetooth. The new aptX Lossless technology expands options available for Bluetooth wireless audio, combining codec, wireless link and RF optimizations.

Austrian company ams, a leading worldwide supplier of high-performance sensor solutions, shared the results of its ‘Comfortable, Smart, High-performing Earbuds Survey’ conducted in Spring 2020 with 2000-plus consumers around the world on their audio earbud uses, habits and preferences. Earbud comfort seems to be a key focus for existing users, with the survey identifying the benefits of active noise cancellation and volume-limiting technology as top earbud innovations. Preference between loose fit and tight-fitting, in-ear earbuds, depends upon type of activity.

The CE Team at Futuresource Consulting has shared Q1 Market Tracker highlights from the headphone market, showing that the global value continues to surge. The global headphones market has posted a strong Q1, achieving revenues of $7.2 billion and year-on-year growth of 22% despite the impact of Coronavirus. With consumers restricted to shopping online, the true wireless stereo category continued to lead the way across all regions.

Post-CES 2020 Impressions. "CES is over but we’re just getting started!" That’s the optimistic vision propagated by many companies who just attended the gigantic Las Vegas event and they leave without really knowing if it was a success or not. Because this is no longer the old days when audio companies would leave CES with their order books filled. Currently, all you have are “contacts” and “great meetings” and little else to backup the promises of future business. And that’s the most important game after all at a show like CES. That and the media hallo effect that new product presentations might have caused.