Like many tech nerds (or geeks?), I watched Apple’s annual iPhone advernouncement infomercial bonanza this week — it was too long. I’ve also digested opinionated articles and podcasts about the new iPhones 16 and related stuff — it’s been fun. One item is a big deal to me: “Clinical-grade” AirPods Pro hearing aids, or what I call, “HearPods.”
You see, I’ve been listening for this announcement from Apple for a long time, predicting it more or less:
And now, HearPods Are Here.
As one with tinnitus and mild to moderate hearing loss, that is sweet music audible sounds to my ears. I liked several articles about the latest AirPods Pro 2 updates, now featuring FDA approved over-the-counter hearing aid capability:
A few years ago, I saw two different audiologists (many months apart) to test my hearing and check my tinnitus. Both confirmed mild to moderate loss in certain lower frequencies and of course the plague of ear-ringing tones. I even tried a pair of traditional hearing aids (the kind I can’t afford!) for a week. They worked great with an app on my iPhone, but I wasn’t ready to commit to a life of aided hearing on that level.
Since then, I’ve been keenly interested in AirPods Pro as they’ve slowly gotten hearing-aid-like functionality such as Conversation Boost. I had a hunch that Apple would eventually push into actual hearing aid tech on some level. And now it's hear here.
I still own AirPods 2 (the non-pro ones) but haven’t used them in forever. I use much better JBL earbuds that are like AirPods Pro for a fraction of the cost. Basically, I had rejected any and all AirPods because there are so many other great wireless earbud options for much less money — and most come in cool colors (like my blue ones) besides Apple's neutral, albeit iconic, “white.”
But with the hearing-aid-enabled AirPods Pro 2, I’m ready to plunk down $250 for them (actually, they're often on sale for $200).
I will wait for reviews first though. I’m eager to read articles and watch YouTube videos of people trying the “HearPods.” If real reviews say they’re as good as the news sounds, then I will very likely buy AirPods Pro 2 as soon as I can.
On that note, this week I tried adding my two audiometry tests’ audiograms into the Health app on my iPhone by scanning them, but there were missing values. I tried to decipher the symbols and the graph but had to cancel; I couldn’t accurately interpret things. That’s fine for now. If I get the new AirPods Pro 2, I’ll do the onboard hearing test and compare it to my official audiologist results for verification.
So let's see what forthcoming reviews of the AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid features have to say. When I consider listening to quality music in earbuds that cost $250, it makes me cringe. But when I consider OTC hearing aids that only cost $250 and also double as excellent music earbuds, it makes me smile from ear to ear.
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