By Paolo von Schirach
President, Global Policy Institute; Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Bay Atlantic University, both in Washington, DC
You have to hand it to Apple. It is not an accident that with a market capitalization exceeding $ 3.4 trillion it is by far the most valuable public company in the world. They have an uncanny ability to create new markets for new products they keep inventing. This time it is not a new gadget. It is instead the re-engineering and reconfiguration of a well-established and very popular product: the Apple AirPods.
With considerable ingenuity, Apple managed to create new software and product modifications that transform the now almost ubiquitous AirPods into an effective, inexpensive hearing aid that would be ideal for the millions of people who suffer from minor hearing loss. According to National Public Radio, the Apple feature, coming this fall via a free software update, will only work with AirPods Pro 2 ear buds and iOS 18-compatible iPhones or iPads.
A critical milestone was recently passed when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, approved this new Apple technological development. Thanks to this reconfiguration, the modified AirPods and associated software became a brand new, FDA approved, nonprescription hearing aid. The FDA praised this innovation calling it an advance for “the availability, accessibility and acceptability of hearing support.”
This Apple innovation comes after the U.S. government made it a lot easier for consumers to buy hearing aids. In the past this was a complex process requiring prescriptions by a specialist. As of a couple of years, it is possible for anyone to buy hearing aids, over the counter, with no prescription.
This move will increase demand. Many producers of low cost hearing aids are now targeting this new market. It is estimated that around 30 million Americans are affected by minor to moderate hearing loss.
However, even after this simplification, cost may still be a barrier for some, along with the stigma of wearing a device associated by most with old age and disability.
Indeed, there is a major psychological barrier regarding hearing aids. Most people who suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss do not want to get traditional hearing aids, because they are afraid of looking old and disabled. Since their hearing loss is moderate, they do nothing about it. In other words, if you are 60 years old, suffering from mild hearing loss, you would rather deal with the discomfort of not hearing so well rather than wear a medical device that will make you look like you are 75. From a medical standpoint, this is not a good choice, because even mild to moderate hearing loss over time may trigger other health problems.
And here come the modified AirPods. This product reconfiguration is fairly low cost, (around $ 250), therefore widely affordable. But the genius here is in the idea of modifying the use of a very popular gadget that many use, and almost everybody else is familiar with. This will remove, in most cases, the stigma usually associated by most to wearing hearing aids. If you wear AirPods, you do not attract unwanted attention.
So, here it is. A familiar product, now customized to meet the needs of millions with mild hearing loss, with a very reasonable price tag. Sumbul Ahmad Desai, Apple’s vice president of health, in an announcement video stated that: “Your AirPods Pro are transformed into a personalized hearing aid, boosting the specific sounds you need in real time, like parts of speech or elements within your environment.”
Clever idea. Most likely the modified Apple AirPods will attract many new customers. Good for their health, and good for Apple’s business.
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