I do not own airpods so don't know about quality. But if a hardware company as great as Apple can build a hearing aid earpiece there are some companies that should be very worried.
I'm just googling about this as we speak, but apparently the FDA approved OTC hearing aids last year and there are already many models available at retail from name brands like Sony and Jabra. Apple is definitely going to make a splash in this space, but there are already a lot of options and probably some very good ones (I've never been disappointed by Jabra).
It's a hugely under innovative, insular and overpriced industry that has been begging for disruption for decades.
Now that there's critical mass in an aging population, companies like Apple that have the clout and cash to ignore the threats of patent infringement can finally apply some real technical innovation to the problem.
I'm on my 4th pair of airpods. Sound quality is good for such small in ears, convenience is amazing, but they don't last very long when used daily. They tend to break after about 1.5 year and the warranty is 1 year.
As others have mentioned, though hearing aids are a 4-digit item for many people. Even if you have to rebuy AirPods Pro regularly, you're still likely saving money. Granted, they may not work in all situations or all cases, but if they work for you it could still be a huge quality-of-life upgrade at a fraction of the cost.
I still use my first gen pair bought on day 1. Got sick of waiting for them to die and finally bought Pros last month. Battery life has declined but still work great otherwise.
My biggest gripe is that Apple went for aesthetics over functionality with the charging case. It's impossible to clean the tiny little charging contact far down and curved away from where a straight tool can fit, and when you put them in your case after working out the salt from your sweat corrodes the pins.
If/when the next ones break I might just DIY a "sleeve" design with replaceable contacts.
Huh. I’ve got the AirPod Pros and use them almost everyday for running. Which means they’ve been sweated on like nobody’s business, and they’ve held up to this use for years. I’ve been impressed with their performance.
It's a huge industry.