Since Apple introduced its AirPods in September 2016, the market for earbuds has taken off. Conservative estimates suggest that there are over 500 wired and wireless earbuds available today, and have replaced over-the-ear headsets by a wide margin.
However, about 95% of earbuds on the market are what I call dumb earbuds. While they offer various levels of audio quality and, in some pricier models, can even add multiple levels of audio controls, most are optimized for delivering some level of audio to listen to music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc.
In the last few years, we have started to see some new earbuds that are being referred to as smart earbuds. These models use software innovations to deliver expanded functions and capabilities.
The concept of software-enhanced earbuds was amplified last week when Apple introduced new software that turns AirPod Pros into OTC hearing aids.
I wrote about this last week and explained how using dedicated software designed around the AirPod Pro’s powerful hardware features could turn these into FDA-approved hearing aids.
Although Apple has not created a dedicated AirPod operating system to support third-party apps in the traditional sense, it introduced new software for AirPods Pro 2 in iOS 18, officially launched on September 16, 2024.
These new features include-
- Voice Isolation
- Improved Adaptive Audio
- Shaky-Head Siri
- Spatial audio in gaming
- Lower Latency
- Better voice quality in games
The folks from Tech Radar explain these new features in detail and share how they work.
The critical takeaway from Apple’s adding new features and functions to the AirPod Pro 2 is that it has become a platform for software innovation. This new feature set is an important trend in earbuds as they, too, become smarter through software.
So, if Apple makes its AirPods Pro a platform for adding smart software and enhancing future hardware to support more software innovations, what kind of new apps and services could Apple and others bring to smart earbuds?
Here is a short list of some other software features that could be delivered through software to smart earbuds over time:
- Real-time Transcription: Converting spoken words into text for meetings, lectures, or note-taking, integrated with virtual assistants to create reminders or task lists.
- Language Translation: Earbuds could translate conversations in real-time, providing seamless communication across different languages.
- Temperature Monitoring: Earbuds could track the user’s body temperature and alert them if it rises or falls outside a healthy range.
- Personalized Content Recommendations: Algorithms suggest music, podcasts, or audiobooks based on listening habits and contexts like location or time of day.
- Real-Time Alerts for Outdoor Activities: Cyclists, runners, or pedestrians can receive alerts for nearby hazards (cars, people) based on sounds or sensor data.
- Mood Detection and Adjustment: Voice analysis detects stress or anxiety levels, and calming music or sounds are played to reduce stress.
- Location-based Reminders: Earbuds could deliver reminders or notifications when entering specific locations (e.g., a grocery list when near a supermarket).
Language translation earbuds are currently available and can be found in single-purpose audio devices. However, integrating language translation into a single smart earbud driven by software is a better approach than one-off dedicated earbuds.
If you think about earbuds as a platform for AI-driven intelligent software, you can see them in a different light. As Apple has shown, its AirPod Pros are more of a platform for software innovation with great potential to deliver a new generation of smart earbuds.
Disclosure: Apple subscribes to Creative Strategies research reports along with many other high tech companies around the world.
