The hearing aid market is experiencing significant growth, particularly in the United States, where it will soon be possible to buy them without a medical prescription. Several mainstream manufacturers have rushed into this breach, including Sony.
Sony wants its piece of the hearing aid market pie. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the American agency in charge (in particular) of medical devices, will authorize the sale of these products without a prescription in October. This will open up the sector to many manufacturers, who have not waited to make announcements: this is the case of Jabra and Eargo, which already manufacture hearing aids, but also Bose, which has formalized its first models in May 2021.
Easier to use hearing aids
Sony is therefore not to be outdone: the Japanese manufacturer has signed an agreement with WS Audiology (which sells more than 5 million hearing aids a year) to develop such devices together. ” Sony and WSA will combine their technological and medical expertise to create solutions that will shape this new sector “, can we read in the joint press release.
The two partners will indeed benefit from the strengths of one and the other. WSA owns the hearing aid technology and is constantly innovating in this field, Sony has the skills in miniaturization, production, services and distribution. Companies want to create hearing aids that can be used “ more naturally and comfortably » and who offer « easy-to-use features that personalize the listening aid ».
Sony will provide further details in the coming months, but this announcement confirms the interest of major manufacturers to position themselves in this potentially very profitable new market. With the aging of the population, it is obvious that many players are rubbing their hands.
