“The tech industry defines itself by answering the question of what’s next. Over the course of this year, I’ve grown increasingly convinced that the most immediate next wave of technological change won’t be the electric autonomous car or the full-frame mirrorless camera, but something a lot more quotidian,” Vlad Savov writes for The Verge. “Our headphones are about to change dramatically, and Microsoft just put an accelerant into the furnace of change with its new Surface Headphones.”
“Microsoft’s voice assistant will play a major role in the upcoming confrontation between America’s tech giants. Apple’s Siri and Google’s Assistant already have headphone homes in the form of the AirPods and Pixel Buds, respectively, and Apple has been rumored to be building high-end over-ear headphones exactly of the sort Microsoft just announced,” Savov writes. “Outside of their own branded hardware, Google has previously worked with companies on ‘Made for Google’ headphones, and both Siri and Google Assistant have been all over the most recent wave of wireless headphone upgrades.”
“For Microsoft, the Surface Headphones represent a chance to reclaim some of its lost preeminence in consumer tech,” Savov writes. “With smart Skype and Cortana integration, these headphones can act as a natural extension of the Windows 10 experience, and thus it can build at least a little bit of a moat around Microsoft’s products.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’re going to run right out to get Microsoft headphones – right after we order some General Electric pancake mix.
And in the morning Amazon waffles
They look like they would press against the earlobes rather than around them, same with Beats. This means that one can’t war them extensively.
$350! Subsidized! With a plan! And they don’t even do email very well because they don’t have a keyboard.
Designed & marketed by Microsoft for your dissatisfied tech enjoyment.
Looking forward to updated AirPods ll.
TampPods…
Updated to include a string.
As usual, Apple skated to where the puck was going to be (ahem, Beats).
Doesn’t matter who makes them, I still hate wearing headphones.
Consider a stereo pair of HomePods 🙂
👍🏻
Will they be offered in blue screen of death Blue?
I wear Pro headphones to record and mix music, but otherwise, for casual listening, I’m always sitting down not running or jogging, etc. and even the wired pods are fine for me. Might invest in AirPods soon, though…
Vlad must be old school does he seriously think that in 2018 and beyond a new product by Microsoft starts a War? This isn’t 1990 any more, even the trolls reluctantly accept that, the iPod showed way back their feet of clay with a typhoon imminent. I am sure there is a place for these headphones in Hitlers bunker even if Microsoft will think tempting fate once again by parading their enemy’s coffin around one again will in some way put off the inevitable defeat or in this more peaceful environment just irrelevance. A war it certainly is not.
The ZunieTunes Headphones!