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Amazon, Samsung and Microsoft take on Apple Airpods with next-generation earbuds
- Samsung Galaxy Buds, Microsoft Surface Earbuds and Amazon Echo Buds are the latest releases
- The latest earbuds offer voice and touch control and can incorporate personal assistants
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Some people would rather put a broken Q-tip in their ear, while others would prefer a bulky earplug or a mint confectionery the size of a coin.
That’s essentially the choice consumers have as tech companies, including Microsoft, Amazon and Samsung, introduce a wave of new, often oddly shaped, competitors to the AirPods, Apple’s popular in-ear wireless headphones that start at US$159.
Silicon Valley has long been on the cutting edge of aesthetics, with numerous game-changing designs over the years (like the Apple products released under Steve Jobs’ tenure) as well as some memorable misses (Google Glass).
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And while Apple has succeeded in turning its white, dangly AirPods into a status symbol, truly wireless earbuds are gaining popularity in spite of, not because of, their designs.
To the credit of those companies, product design experts say it’s difficult to create a pair of wireless, Bluetooth-enabled devices that sit comfortably but unobtrusively in the ear, provide high-quality sound and still capture the user’s voice. For one thing, the human body interferes with Bluetooth signals, so sending information to both earbuds in a synchronised fashion is complicated.
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