Apple Reportedly Acquires Bluetooth Headphone Company Wi-Gear

[MacRumors]

9 to 5 Mac reports that Apple appears to have acquired Wi-Gear, a small San Francisco-based company that offered highly-touted Bluetooth headphones for the iPhone and iPod known as iMuffs.

Apple plans to build its own stereo Bluetooth headphones for future iOS devices and MacBooks with technology and expertise from Wi-Gear. As you'll recall, Apple didn't have a great amount of success with its own Bluetooth headset and instead of building in-house for their new product, decided to pick up the small Wi-Gear outfit.

Wi-Gear offered its iMuffs headphones as a standalone product offering basic integrated music controls, as well as a dock connector adapter to provide full control via Bluetooth and compatibility for iPhones and iPods without built-in Bluetooth support.

In support of the acquisition claim, the report notes that the company's co-founder now lists his occupation as "iOS Bluetooth Engineer at Apple Inc." on his LinkedIn profile.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Acquires Bluetooth Headphone Company Wi-Gear

 

[rwilliams]

I sure hope Apple does away with that dongle and the awful controls on the outside of those headphones. Yikes.

 

[skunk]

I've still got the original headset. Works very well.

 

[levitynyc]

4 years ago, I wondered why headphones still needed wires, and i still do today.

Looks like we will finally be seeing good wireless headphones

 

[CyberBob859]

Great. Maybe now we can get some decent integration with in-car bluetooth systems as well.

 

[Serelus]

Lol'd at the dongle, Apple produces iPod nano's that size. Surely they are doing something wrong here.

 

[nep61]

I sure hope Apple does away with that dongle and the awful controls on the outside of those headphones. Yikes.

Agreed... leave it to Apple to scale down the hardware... I'm sure you'll see a smaller version soon enough.

 

[iDisk]

Old news

To correct the Article. Apple has already started developing prototypes for this and the "iMuffs" should be ready Summer 2011 or Fall 2011.

The company was acquired 3 to 4 months ago.

Bruce

 

[pvmacguy]

Lol at the name... Muffs..

On a serious note, who actually likes designs of headphones like that? I think those went out of style un like 2000. And that dongle....

 

[res1233]

I always wished apple would develop a bluetooth headset. Now we may get it!

 

[rwilliams]

Lol at the name... Muffs..

On a serious note, who actually likes designs of headphones like that? I think those went out of style un like 2000. And that dongle....

I don't mind them. I have a pair of Motorola MotoROKR S305 headphones like that and they're comfortable and work great. I'm no audiophile so as long as they fit well and produce sound that I'm okay with, I'm happy.

 

[mab920]

that dongle is not needed for new iphone. It adds stereo bluetooth to old iphone, as well as ipods

 

[shartypants]

good sign maybe

I keep hoping Apple will get into the car navigation/entertainment business, I'd love to have an iOS device as my car computer/navigation system built right into the car.

 

[WildGuess]

$129.99

From their site.

 

[Sky Blue]

iMuffs lol
R-Rated iPhone add-on

 

[talkingfuture]

Hope they change name because round here Muff doesn't mean headphones!

 

[chim9999]

i've avoided bluetooth. i really should get something for the car though.

 

[baleensavage]

Maybe we can finally get wireless syncing of iPods too? My camera can sync wirelessly, my phone can too, so why can't my iPod? The new iPod touches have bluetooth built-in, yet Apple still won't enable syncing wirelessly. Or for that matter, why not just use wi-fi for syncing like an Eye-Fi card? I just have to turn my camera on anywhere in my house and it automatically puts the photos directly in iPhoto.

 

[G77]

Wanna some iPads to use with your iMuffs?

 

[afd]

I'm sure there is a joke there somewhere with iPad and iMuff, but I'm not going there. . .

 

[M87]

I can only see myself using my iPad with my iMuff about a week each month.

 

[afd]

Wanna some iPads to use with your iMuffs?

Bugger, too slow :-(

 

[samcraig]

I just got Rocketfish's bluetooth headset and couldn't be happier. Great headphones, great battery life and didn't know before I bought that it also had a microphone build in which works great. Bluetooth headsets were definitely (for me) a great "investment."

 

[RodThePlod]

Hope they change name because round here Muff doesn't mean headphones!

Tsk, tsk... the places you frequent...



RTP.

 

[bergmef]

Seeing this made me wonder, how well does the iPhone work with a car stereo and integrated bluetooth. I still have to wait for a verizon version, but I love my radio with bluetooth built in (ipod cable too of course).