From WIRED · Harry Rabinowitz · · 2m
Bose returns to wired earbuds after 11 years
Wired headphones are having a moment with Gen Z, and Bose noticed teens wearing them everywhere.
In brief
Wired headphones are having a moment with Gen Z, and Bose noticed teens wearing them everywhere. Bose is launching ninety nine dollar noise cancelling wired earbuds after an eleven year absence from the category, capitalizing on a resurgence driven by young people. Originally reported by WIRED.
Wired earbuds are back in style
Wired headphones sales rose ten percent in the back half of twenty twenty five and twenty percent at the start of twenty twenty six. Young people are driving the trend, with celebrities sporting wired earbuds and writing songs about them.
Bose noticed the trend at college
Bose president of consumer audio Raza Haider dropped off his teen at college last year and saw wired earbuds left and right. The trend is popular among Gen Z and Gen A in New York City and among teenage children of WIRED staffers.
Bose launches ninety nine dollar wired earbuds
The new ninety nine dollar Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds come to market to capitalize on the trend. Launching them from idea to final product took the company around eight or nine months, much faster than most audio releases.
Wired earbuds offer simplicity
Wired headphones need no battery to charge, no app to download, no Bluetooth to fiddle with, and no latency to ruin your TV show or video game. The Bose earbuds leapfrog cheaper wired pairs in sound quality and active noise cancelling.
The control panel adds weight
The central control panel has volume up and down plus a play slash pause slash noise cancelling mode switch button, but it weighs down the cable and earbuds. The thick premium cable inevitably ends up tangled inside the included soft pouch.
Preorders start today, shipping October fifteen
The earbuds come with removable silicone wing tip stabilizers and extra ear tip and stabilizer sizes. They come in black, white, and limited edition mint color. Preorders start today at Bose and Best Buy, with shipping beginning October fifteen.
In short
Bose is launching ninety nine dollar noise cancelling wired earbuds after an eleven year absence from the category, capitalizing on a resurgence driven by young people.
