Following Bloomberg’s announcement in April earlier this year, we reported that a pair of Amazon wireless earbuds were in the making and set to rival the hugely popular Apple AirPods. Courtesy of a recent CNBC report, we now know a little more about these rumoured earbuds.
CNBC’s report suggests that Amazon’s new earbuds will not only be able to track fitness, but also support voice commands with Alexa. The buds apparently host a built-in accelerometer that measures calories burned and running pace, among other activities, to improve your fitness regimen.
Moreover, the new earbuds will offer instantaneous access to Alexa’s many abilities whilst on-the-go, in what can only be a boon for the hands-free movement. This will significantly expand Alexa’s reach beyond the home for Amazon, as well as offering a more personalised service – earbuds are usually only worn by one person.
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The as-of-yet-unnamed “Amazon Pods” will sport some of the same features as Apple’s version, including a charger-case and physical tap controls to navigate between songs and answer phone calls. They will however need to be used with either an Apple or Android device, as they come without built-in cellular connectivity.
The best part is, you won’t have to break the bank for them. The headphones are set to cost significantly less than Apple’s flagship earbuds: they are expected to come in at under £80, undercutting Apple’s £159 - £199 price tag. No surprise here, given that Amazon never fails to out-do their rivals on affordability.
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Based on this information, Amazon’s new headphones will surely make some noise in the healthcare technology sector – an industry as-of-yet uncharted by the retail giant.
While the launch date of the AirPods is still unclear, Amazon’s earbuds may make an appearance in Seattle at their annual hardware event on Wednesday, so be sure to check back in with us for more information.
