Apple Breaking into the Hearing Aid Industry

As the baby boomer generation gets older, the hearing aid industry continues to grow but it takes a long time for a person to overcome the feeling of stigma they associate with hearing loss. On average, it takes seven years for people who have hearing loss to take action and do something about their hearing loss. Although hearing aid wearers are perceived to be older, the younger generations of hearing aid wearers are growing.

For many years, hearing aid companies have launched products that attract and cater to clients of all ages. For example, there are hearing aids that feature sleek designs that are compatible with fashionable accessories at prestige level of technology, such as Bluetooth compatible systems.

Apple recently partnered with GN ReSound to create LiNX, a hearing aid that uses Bluetooth-like technology to wirelessly connect directly to iPhones. The hearing aid connects to an iPhone using 2.4GHz wireless technology. Most hearing aids use a separate transmitter to connect to Bluetooth devices but LiNX will eliminate that and will be compatible with iPhones directly.

One of the main goals from the companies with this technology is to de-stigmatize the use of hearing aids

LiNX Advantages:

• Enhance sounds
• Stream music
• Stream voice
• Capable for receiving phone calls
• Hearing aid comes with an iOS app that allows users to personalize their settings
• Hearing aids will consume less battery life using 2.4GHz wireless technology

The new innovation of LiNX is extremely exciting in the hearing aid industry and will be launched globally in the first quarter of 2014.

Mary Ma BC-HIS
Registered Hearing Aid Practitioner
Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences