Amazon Plan To Compete Against Apple Airpods With Alexa-Equipped Earbuds

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An attendee wears an Apple AirPods during a launch event on September 7, 2016 in San Francisco, California. Apple Inc. unveiled the latest iterations of its smart phone, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the Apple Watch Series 2, as well as AirPods, the tech giant's first wireless headphones.
Like having Alexa in your home isn't creepy enough.

The hype around Apple AirPods during the Christmas season created a strange divide among Apple product users who measured how hard their flex was with the wireless devices. Earlier this week, Beats unveiled their new Powerbeats Pro which serves as an alternative to the Airpods -- a product that's sparked conversations among scientists about their health risks. However, it looks like Amazon is now getting ready to compete with Apple in the market of wireless headphones. 

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New reports claim Amazon is readying itself to compete against Apple in the world of slight flexes. The tech giant is reportedly currently working on an Alexa-ready Airpod alternative that could drop later this year.

A source close to Amazon told Gurman that “The Seattle-based e-commerce giant is readying earbuds with built-in Alexa access for as early as the second half of this year,” and that "The headphones will look and act similar to AirPods, but people working on the product inside Amazon are striving for better audio quality."

Much like the original Alexa products, users can simply summon the virtual assistant by calling her name. The Alexa earbuds will allow users . to pick their songs from Amazon music, access information about the weather, and of course, be able to order products off of Amazon.

Amazon is planning to equip the headphones with tactile controls that allow users to work certain functions by tapping the earbud.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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