The National Health Service in Scotland describes hearables as hearing devices for streaming media. The hearables market also includes devices for people with mild hearing loss, tinnitus, sensory issues, or other problems not necessarily treatable with a hearing aid.
A hearable is also a wearable, a type of device worn on the body mostly for health purposes. The Fitbit step counter, worn on the wrist, was one of the first wearables available to the public. Technology has advanced rapidly since that time to include a huge wearables market, including devices worn in the ear. Although 2021 has just started, industry analysts have already made predictions about which trends should expand this year.
Hearables Will Dominate More of the Wearables Market
Despite supply chain issues caused by COVID-19 during 2020, the demand for hearables accelerates at a rapid pace. Manufacturers of hearables, which includes both wired and wireless headsets as well as in-ear devices, shipped 400 million units in 2020.
Hearables made up approximately 40 percent of all wearables sold in 2019 as well. That percentage could reach greater than 50 percent this year, making hearables the dominant product in the wearables marketplace. What makes this prediction especially remarkable is that the first hearables were not available to consumers until early 2017.
How Hearables Can Help Improve Sleep
No matter what country people live in, many of them do not get enough sleep. The problem of sleep deprivation has become so common and worrisome that it has reached the status of Global Health issue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States reports that adults who regularly get less than seven hours of sleep each night are at risk of a host of serious and chronic health issues. Asthma, depression, diabetes, and heart disease are just some of them.
The demand for wearables that offer soothing music, noise cancellation, and a variety of other options to improve sleep quality continues to grow by the year. Some wearables for sleep even include sensors that provide biofeedback to users as they move through each sleep cycle. Several companies have produced hearables for sleep, and the competition between brands has resulted in improved features for users.
Other Expected Trends in the Hearables Market
Wireless headphones have been in high demand for several years and that trend should continue in 2021. The good news for consumers is that prices continue to drop from the earliest days of wireless headphones due to more manufacturers competing for sales.
Industry analysts expect all hearables manufacturers to focus on biometrics, sound clarity, and waterproofing devices in the coming year. With several big names jumping into the hearables market, consumers can expect active noise cancelling and voice activation among several other technologically advanced features.
Nuheara IQbuds2 MAX Achieves Notorious Distinction in 2020
Every year, Time Magazine selects the best inventions of the year in several categories. Nuheara’s wireless earbuds, which debuted in January 2020, appeared on the list. IQbuds2 MAX comes feature active noise cancellation, environment-based noise controls, personalized hearing, and numerous other advanced features. The company looks forward to helping even more people hear better and have improved control over incoming sound in 2021.