Following GN Store Nord, hearing aid maker William Demant to join Apple’s ‘Made for iPhone’ program this spring

“The world’s second-biggest hearing aid maker, Denmark’s William Demant, reported a slightly weaker than forecast 2013 operating profit and 2014 earnings outlook on Thursday, sending its shares down more than 4 percent,” Reuters reports. “Its outlook for earnings to grow 5 to 10 percent this year was lower than analysts’ estimates in a Reuters poll. Bernstein Research said in a note to clients that the outlook ‘will be viewed as a disappointment as consensus was forecasting EPS growth of 13-14 percent.’ William Demant’s operating profit (EBIT) for 2013 rose 7.9 percent to 1.78 billion Danish crowns ($326 million), below an average 1.81 million crowns estimate in a Reuters poll.”

“The company said it will join Apple’s ‘Made for iPhone’ programme this spring. It will use a system where the connection between the hearing aid and the iPhone goes through a separate transmitter, typically worn around the neck,” Reuters reports. “Danish competitor GN Store Nord, the world’s fourth-biggest hearing aid maker, this week launched the first ‘made for iPhone’ hearing aid in collaboration with Apple. Analysts say its product has a cosmetic advantage as it inserts the technology into the hearing aid itself, although some say this reduces sound quality.”

Read more in the full article here.

Related articles:
Apple co-developed next-gen iPhone-compatible hearing aid to debut early next year – November 25, 2013
With ‘Live Listen,’ Apple iPhones could be remote mic for Bluetooth hearing aids and more – August 12, 2013

19 Comments

        1. He didn’t say Mexican. He said Merican (as in ‘merican, or American, which arguably is distinct from the English spoken in the more civilised areas of the U.S.) 🙂

    1. You missed out German, but in any case, what on earth has the language got to do with anything?
      It’s a device to help the hearing impaired hear better, not translate foreign languages; you need a BabelFish for that.
      Which I’m sure Apple is developing even as we speak.
      But they’re keeping quiet about it.

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