Amazon is gearing up to take on Apple with its own set of wireless earbuds that pack some features AirPods can’t match.
Apple’s HomePod speaker could get some tougher competition from Amazon too as the company is also reportedly working on a bigger Echo smart speaker that will have better sound quality.
According to CNBC, Amazon’s wireless earbuds will offer Alexa-support and include a number of health and fitness-related functions. With a built-in accelerometer, the earbuds will supposedly be able to provide feedback on how far you’ve run, running pace, calories burned and more.
The new earbuds are allegedly codenamed “Puget.” They’re expected to cost less than $100, significantly undercutting AirPods’ $160 price tag. It’s unclear when Amazon plans to release them. The company has its annual hardware event slated for this Wednesday so we could see them real soon.
If Amazon’s knock-off AirPods do come out, it will mark the company’s first foray into the health and fitness market. Amazon has a secret healthcare team that’s working to revolutionize the way we record, monitor, and share medical data. This could likely be their first product to launch with more to follow in the future.
While Amazon has been dominating the smart speaker market with its line of Echo speakers, Apple commands the wireless earbuds market with about 60% of the global market share. Apple is reportedly working on a cheaper HomePod and updated AirPods, both of which will likely launch in early 2020.
