Making Tech Headlines · Page 3

Earbuds Offer Bold New Feature: Remaining Attached

October 17, 2026 at 6:00 PM EDT · New York time

Bose’s new wired earbuds arrive amid renewed interest in a category that never quite disappeared. Wired-earbud sales have risen this year after five years of decline, a reminder that the move toward Bluetooth did not erase every reason to keep a cable. Apple removed the iPhone’s headphone jack in 2016, helping push wireless listening into the mainstream. Yet the old tradeoff remains recognizable. Wireless models remove a physical tether, while wired listening avoids making every session depend on the charge state of two small objects that enjoy hiding separately. Neither arrangement abolishes inconvenience. A cable can snag; a wireless earbud can turn a sofa into an archaeological site. The point is that consumers may reasonably prefer different inconveniences, despite a decade of product language suggesting that freedom has one approved industrial design. The resurgence makes a modest argument for choice. Sometimes a mature technology is not waiting to be disrupted. It is simply waiting for someone to get tired of charging its replacement. In a sufficiently connected household, plugging something in and having it work can feel like a luxurious escape from the future.

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