Is Amazon about to launch a fitness-focused Apple AirPods alternative?
Amazon could be about to release its answer to the Apple AirPods, according to a report by CNBC.
Citing "a person directly involved in the project", the report details true wireless earbuds – codenamed 'Puget' – that double up as a fitness tracker, with a built-in accelerometer and the ability to monitor things like "distance run, calories burned and pace of running".
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The new earbuds will reportedly cost less than $100 (£80 / AU$150), which would undercut the Apple AirPods (and much of the true wireless competition) by a fairly large margin.
They'll also come with Alexa built-in, giving access to the voice assistant on the go.
A better-sounding Echo
As well as true wireless earbuds, the source also claimed that Amazon will release a new Amazon Echo speaker – a bulkier device with improved sound quality.
The speaker is reportedly "designed to be the central speaker in Alexa's core home market," which suggests that it might usurp the original Amazon Echo – and with "a woofer and a higher quality speaker", it should address some of the audio issues suffered by its predecessor.
So when will we see these new Amazon devices? Right now, everything's pointing to September 25, when Amazon is holding a launch event in Seattle.
If Amazon does launch the new running earphones on September 25, it could pose a challenge for Apple – after all, its own true wireless earbuds are the current market leaders.
We had expected fitness tracking and biometric sensors to come to the yet-to-be-released AirPods 2, but with no word on a release date, it looks like Amazon will beat the tech giant to the punch – in any case, we should find out on September 25.
Via CNBC
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