Amazon working on Alexa-enabled wireless earbuds to compete with Apple's AirPods: Report
Amazon is actively working on its first wearable product with Alexa integration according to a new report from Bloomberg. The product? Completely wireless earbuds that work much like Apple's AirPods do.
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The earbuds will have touch-sensitive controls, typically relying on taps on the earbuds to control music or answer a phone call, as well as an always listening feature, using Alexa as the wake command that can be used to get weather updates, order products, and other common tasks Alexa is used for.
Charging the earbuds will be done through the case, which will itself charge via a USB cable. This is the same way Samsung's Galaxy Buds and Apple's AirPods charge.
Apple's AirPods first launched in 2016 and slowly became a hit. More recently, Apple launched an updated version that includes always-listening Hey Siri functionality and improved battery life for phone calls. Apple's AirPods currently cost between $159 and $199, depending on the type of charging case you purchase.
It's unclear how much Amazon plans to charge for the earbuds.
According to Bloomberg, the new earbuds are expected to launch sometime in the second half of 2019. In 2018, Amazon held an event in September where it announced a long list of products from an Alexa-enabled clock to a microwave, also with Alexa in tow.
ZDNet reached out to Amazon for comment and will update this post should we hear back.