Those suffering from hearing loss may not suffer from the high prices of hearing-aids much longer, thanks to Apple. The fruit company announced the Airpod Pro 2 can be used as a hearing-aid later this year. The Wall Street Journal reported:
As soon as it rolls out the software update this fall, Apple will instantly make the AirPods Pro 2 into a medical device, essentially turning every pair of the company’s top-selling headphones into over-the-counter hearing aids.
Audiologists expect it will be the best low-cost option for most Americans who need hearing aids but don’t wear them.
It’s meant for people with perceived mild to moderate levels of hearing loss. And those are exactly the people who might never otherwise get a hearing aid.
Whether it’s because of price, stigma or their refusal to admit they’re getting older, people with the least severe hearing problems are the ones most reluctant to seek help. Most feel it’s not worth their money, time and energy to find a solution. Some don’t even know they have a problem. ...
And this week, when it authorized Apple’s tech as the first over-the-counter hearing-aid software, the Food and Drug Administration called it an advance for “the availability, accessibility and acceptability of hearing support.” ...
AirPods might not be as good as prescription hearing aids for people with profound hearing loss. But for people with mild to moderate hearing loss, they are plenty good enough. And there are lots of those people. ...
Today, prescription hearing aids still cost thousands of dollars. OTC devices cost significantly less. The generic preset ones sell for roughly $100 and the more personalized self-fitting ones around $1,000. The hearing aid from Apple will essentially perform like the expensive devices for the price of the cheaper ones at $249. And for those who already own the AirPods Pro 2, it won’t cost anything extra.
Other hearing aids have longer battery life and look nearly invisible, but Apple is also introducing several features meant to prevent, measure and assist with hearing loss. They include a hearing test that takes about five minutes and requires just an iPhone or iPad and these AirPods, which is useful, since Apple says 80% of U.S. adults have not had their hearing checked in the past five years. ... Rest of article.
Although Apple sells the Airpod Pros for $249, they are on sale at Amazon for $189 every few months, including right now. Yes, they are eligible for Applecare. It comes in handy for instances where a pup might decided to treat it as a chew toy.
17 comments:
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I look forward to this. Airpod Pros already help me in noisy environments.
It looks like the update only applies to AirPods Pro 2. So it is misleading to tell everyone to buy the AirPods Pro on sale with the expectation they will get the update. Last gen Air Pods Pro lack the hardware necessary for the updates.
I am glad to hear this.
Same fucking anon commenters leaving back to back to back posts
Get the cameras ready, a lot of motherfuckers are about to go down
These are not true hearing aids. A few years ago, Elizabeth Warren helped change the definition and regulation in a bill of what a hearing aid is in order to help Bose get into the market. These are just sound enhancing devices. You still need to go to a professional if you truly have hearing problems. There are reasons why hearing aids are so expensive.
10:27, yeah there are reasons. Corruption and monopolies come to mind.
@10:27am - Hello hearing aid salesman or doctor that gets kickbacks from hearing aid salesmen.
It’s going to be funny watching lawyers try to wear these in court and get admonished by the judges for it.
This is great I guess. I just want them to release the M4 Mac Mini or M4 Mac Studio. Tired of waiting for the new Neural engine on desktop with active cooling. Macbook and iPad don’t count IMO since they are passive cooled and thermal throttle to 💩 performance. I am a pure enthusiast and I have the latest Ryzen and Nvidia RTX. But I still love my Macs.
If they really cared about our hearing, we wouldn't have to go through the ATF BS and pay a $200 "tax stamp" for firearm noise suppressors. At 41 years old my ears are constantly ringing from previous years of not knowing the effects of shooting without ear protection or noise suppressors. But that would probably cut into the profits of special interest groups, hearing aid companies, etc.
@11:28am - Hi, l’m 42 and not retarded. I figured I’d preface my post with that since it appears that you may be. I’ve known all my life that shooting guns without hearing protection will damage your hearing. Your argument that you didn’t know at your age is disingenuous. If you were 81, maybe, but come on man. I own multiple suppressors, AR-15s, PRS rifles, etc., and yes it would be nice if the HPA was passed instead of focusing on tax breaks for the billionaires during Trump’s first two years but obviously they didn’t really care about it.And it’s not really that hard to get a suppressor nowadays anyway. Wait times on individual applications are down to several days now. Go on out of here with that mess.
Hello 10:58! Click on the timestamp and listen for yourself. https://noagenda.clipgenie.com/content/39376161-6161-3863-6133-313264343036?filtered=true&offset=7&order=desc¶graphs=&partial=false&q=bose+elizabeth+warren+hearing+aids&qty=7&sort=root&tab=
20 years late and thousands of dollars, I will be one of the first to try these but I am not giving up my hearing aids just yet. With the Bluetooth connectivity I have on these, they work just like the Airpods . I can make and receive calls from them . Hearing Aids take adjusting and tuning . One may be able to do it from an app but I doubt it.
Not to mention being pretty damned impressed by and with yourself. Did you hear that?
@4:11 Why yes. I am better than you.
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