Google and Amazon reportedly working on Apple AirPods competitors

Apple

• Amazon and Google may be working on wireless
  earbuds like Apple’s AirPods, according to a well-respected
  analyst. 
• These wireless earbuds would be integrated with voice
  assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. 
• Apple may also be looking
  into health features for its AirPods, according to the
  note. 

Apple’s wireless earbuds, AirPods, may soon be getting a few new
rivals, according to a note from TF International Securities
analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Both Amazon and Google could soon be Apple’s competitors in the
wireless ear device market, Kuo predicted in a December 4 note
seen by Business Insider.

“We believe that AirPods’ success has drawn Google and Amazon’s
attention and these two companies will launch AirPod-alike
products in [the second half of 2019],” Kuo wrote. “The combined
shipments of two brands will likely reach 10–20 million units in
[the second half of 2019.]”

“We think that Google and Amazon are Apple’s main competitors
because Google is the most influential brand in the Android
ecosystem and Amazon has the best voice assistant service,” he
continued. 

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Google currently makes a set of wireless earbuds,
called Pixel Buds. However, they have a wire connecting the
two earpieces, unlike Apple’s product.

Amazon makes a large number of speakers under its Echo brand,
although its Alexa voice assistant hasn’t yet been built into a
pair of headphones designed by the ecommerce giant. 

Apple’s most popular accessory ever? 

Google’s Pixel Buds have some futuristic translation
features built in. However, they’re not true wireless buds —
there’s a wire connecting them.
Google

The note comes two days after TF International Securities

predicted a new AirPods model will launch next year, and a
redesigned version could be released in 2020. According to his
model, Apple could sell more than 100 million pairs of AirPods in
2021. 

Kuo is widely respected for predicting Apple products before they
launch. In Tuesday’s note, he says that AirPods will become
“increasingly important in Apple’s ecosystem,” because they
increase the reasons why a user might decide not to switch from
iPhone to Android.

He also believes that since the ear is “a perfect sensing area
for detecting various health data,” Apple may decide to integrate
the AirPods with health-focused Apple Watch features in the
future. 

Ultimately, Kuo believes that “more brand vendors are paying more
attention to wireless earbud sales for near-term momentum
improvements and long-term strategic movements while smartphone
shipments are slowing.”

TF International Securities notes are targeted at investors in
Asian manufacturing companies, and this note has picked Goertek
and Unitech as possible winners as Google and Amazon ramp up
their AirPod competitors.