At one of the local shopping centres, there’s a bloke who stands at the full-width entrance of a shop hoping to lure people in for a hearing test.
I watched him recently on a Saturday morning from a nearby cafe. Sales folk – bless ’em – can be wired a little differently. As people wandered by shopping, heading for coffee, brunch, haircuts, he was like one of those inflatable punching clowns that keep coming back for more.
He waved at kids in prams and moved in to talk to their parents, but they walked on by. The thrill of the chase. The ability to bounce back, time after time, in the pursuit of getting someone in for a hearing test.
Ultimately, after dozens upon dozens of people had rejected his entreaties, I looked up to see a woman had stopped. He moved in – a little too close for my liking – and was all arms as he over-gesticulated. It was a bit painful to watch. She didn’t look old enough to be in the main demographic for audio assistance, and soon moved on.
The man went back to stand at the entrance. I thought of him as Apple unveiled a swag of new stuff in Cupertino, California, in particular what appears to be a groundbreaking update to the AirPods Pro 2, which were launched about a year ago.
The update includes what Apple describes as “innovative over-the-counter Hearing Aid capability for users with mild to moderate hearing loss”. And, well, a hearing test. Would Hearing Test Man approve, or head to his audio testing room for a quiet moment?
“Using the personalised hearing profile from the Hearing Test, this new feature seamlessly transforms AirPods Pro into a clinical-grade hearing aid,” claims Apple.
“The first-of-its-kind software-based Hearing Aid feature helps make access to hearing assistance easier than ever at an approachable price point.”
Apple says that after you’ve set it up the feature “enables personalised dynamic adjustments so users have the sounds around them boosted in real time. This helps them better engage in conversation, and keeps them connected to the people and environment around them”.
The user’s personalised hearing profile is automatically applied to music, movies, games and phone calls across their devices, without needing to adjust any settings.
The Hearing Test is “intuitive” and “clinical grade”, and is “based on the standard clinical approach called pure-tone audiometry that users can take themselves with their AirPods Pro and a compatible iPhone or iPad”, Apple says.
“Users can take the convenient test in about five minutes from the comfort of their own home. The Hearing Test feature leverages advanced acoustic science and provides users with an interactive experience. When a user completes the test, they will see an easy-to-understand summary of their results, including a number representing hearing loss in each ear, a classification, and recommendations.”
The results, including an audiogram, can be stored in the Health app and shared with a healthcare provider.”
Apple says the Hearing Test and Aid features “are expected to receive marketing authorisation from global health authorities soon and will be supported with AirPods Pro 2 with the latest firmware when paired with a compatible iPhone or iPad, and will be available this fall in more than 100 countries and regions …”
