Cochlear and Apple have announced the launch of the first iPhone-compatible cochlear implant sound processor today. The sound processor is what powers the implant that’s placed inside the body. It’s the device that you see on the outside. The processor gathers the audio and sends it to the implant.
To be clear, this isn’t the first hearing product that can work with Apple devices. There are already lots of them available on the market. Apple has a dedicated “Made for iPhone hearing aids” page on its website where it lists all of those products.
All of those devices can be paired directly with an iOS device running version 7.0 and above. The connection happens over Bluetooth and lets users receive audio and also control their hearing aid from their iOS device’s accessibility settings.
What’s different about this product is that the Cochlear app for this product has a Find My Processor feature which enables users to locate their processor’s location using Apple’s Location Services feature. This is a very useful feature and will prove to be particularly useful for those who are prone to forgetting things.
Cochlear is going to release its newest processor in the United States and Canada this September. Qualifying cochlear implant owners will be able to get it as an upgrade in October.
Filed in .. Source: cochlear