Apple starts selling new earbuds Monday ahead of rivals
dpa
WASHINGTON (dpa)- Apple on Monday announced a new model of its wireless earbuds in response to new similar updated products by rivals Huawei and Amazon soon to hit the market.
Apple touted the AirPod Pro's new noise cancellation feature, which is similar to that included in its competitors' models. The AirPod Pro earbuds also can automatically tune low- and mid-frequencies of music to the shape of the user’s ear, which Apple said results in a "rich, immersive listening experience."
The AirPod Pro earbuds also have easier "one-tap" setup and flexible tips to fit comfortably in the ear, Apple said in a news release.
The AirPod Pro went on sale Monday at apple.com and the Apple Store. The earbuds will be on sale in traditional retail stores beginning Wednesday, the company said. The product, priced at 249 dollars, is considerably more expensive than the lowest-priced AirPods at 159 dollars.
While sales of iPhones recently have declined, small accessories such as earbuds and the Apple Watch have become an increasingly important for the US company.
Huawei announced its wireless FreeBuds 3 earlier this year. They will be available starting in November in China, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, Asia Pacific and Latin America, according to Android Headlines. Like the new Apple AirPods, the product has an active noise suppression feature.
Amazon will begin selling its wireless Echo Buds on Wednesday at amazon.com. The product has immersive sound, active noise reduction, can be used with Alexa and comes in three sizes of ear tips.
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