On the same day that Jabra announced its latest generation of wireless earbuds, the company has unexpectedly called it quits for the entire consumer audio category. In a press release that cites the rising costs of competition, GN (Jabra’s parent company) announced its intent to “gradually wind-down its Elite and Talk product lines to further increase focus and resources on more attractive parts of GN’s business.”
The new Gen 2 products — the Elite 8 Active and Elite 10 Generation 2 — will be the last two product introductions in this product line, but they will remain available through 2024 and beyond. A Jabra spokesperson told Digital Trends that “customers will be able to buy them in the usual online and retail channels, as well as Jabra.com, and products will still be supported throughout their lifetime, as normal.”
The decision, in part, is about refocusing on other categories like professional audio, video and OTC hearing aids, all of which are areas where Jabra has fewer competitors and commands a much greater market share.
“The markets, have changed over time,” said GN Store Nord CEO, Peter Karlstromer, “and it is today our assessment that we cannot generate a fair return on investment compared to the many other opportunities we have within our Hearing, Enterprise, and Gaming businesses.”
