Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
- Microsoft is said to be developing its own AirPods-style wireless earbuds, according to a new report.
- Little is known about Microsoft's rumored wireless earbuds so far, but they could have similar functions as the company's larger Surface Headphones that were released last year.
- Meanwhile, Apple is also said to be developing its own Apple-branded over-the-ear headphones that won't have the Beats branding.
Microsoft is developing its own wireless earbuds to compete with Apple's AirPods, according to tech site Thurrott citing multiple sources familiar with the company's plans.
Last year, Microsoft launched its own over-the-ear headphones called Surface Headphones.
In contrast, Apple is said to be working on its own pair of over-the-ear headphones that will be under the Apple branding rather than the Beats branding.
Apart from their supposed development, little is known about Microsoft's AirPods competitors. They're reportedly codenamed "Morrison," which could be a reference to The Doors' Jim Morrison. According to the report, one of the earbuds' features is designed to help make reading content from a smartphone easier. It sounds like an accessibility feature, but it's not clear exactly what it is from Thurrott's report.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
Microsoft's Surface Headphones
Apart from that, we might expect features from Microsoft's Surface Headphones, like integration with Microsoft's smart assistant Cortana, and perhaps noise-cancelling.
There's no launch date to speak of at the moment, and like most rumors, there's no guarantee Microsoft's own AirPods competitors will actually launch.
Wireless earbuds are nothing new, but it's clear that Apple's AirPods have propelled the fully-wireless earbud category of earphones into popularity. Samsung has its own Galaxy Buds, Amazon is also said to be working on a pair of wireless Alexa ear buds, and several audio companies like Jabra, Sennheiser, J Buds, and wide variety of other companies offer wireless earbuds in a variety of price ranges.
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