Last year, Bose revealed a unique new product called the "sleepbuds," a pair of white noise-generating earphones that help users to fall asleep. It was quite a divisive product when it launched, given that they paired with a phone but still couldn't even play music. In fact, most of us here at Android Police thought they were kind of ridiculous. After being on the market for only 16 months, Bose is now discontinuing the sleepbuds.

Bose's sleepbuds started life as a crowdfunded Indiegogo project before going on sale in June of 2018. Priced at $250, the product promised to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer by playing various white noise sound effects directly in your ears to block out ambient noise. In the intervening months, new features and functionality like a "Phone-Free Mode" were delivered via updates.

Despite its best efforts to improve the sleepbuds, Bose is calling it quits and discontinuing the product due to issues with its special silver-zinc micro battery, which "doesn’t work as consistently or predictably as it should to meet [Bose's] standards." Customers have reported problems like the sleepbuds not fully charging or powering down unexpectedly. Current owners of the sleepbuds have the option for a full refund if they are returned to Bose by December 31, 2019.

Although the issue is real and many have voiced their complaints to Bose on the company's support forums, I have been a lucky exception, thoroughly enjoying and depending on the sleepbuds for a good night's sleep over the past two years. It's with a sad heart that I report Bose's intention to return to the drawing board. Hopefully, we'll see an improved sequel in the not-too-distant future.

Source: Bose