The Microsoft Surface Earbuds are power earbuds with powerful features at a steep price point.
Microsoft is way past the point of wetting its feet in the ecosystem building phase. Although a bit late, it is completely part of the companies that compete to build the best tech ecosystem for users.
Microsoft already have the advantage because of the widespread use of Windows and its office suites. The company now has to build the best hardware to complement their productivity softwares. In fact, they are already putting up a good case for the laptop segment of their business.
The only segment that needs improvement are its accessories, and they are actually also on the right track with the recent launch of the Microsoft Surface Earbuds.
High price point for a high productivity tool
The Microsoft Surface Earbuds ships at AU$ 329. This is without a doubt a high price tag for a wireless ear buds considering its peer within the category. Samsung and Apple’s own true wireless ear buds ship at less than $70 to $120.
The reasoning for the price point isn’t clear, but Microsoft seems to justify it with the capabilities that the earbuds bring to the table. First among which, is its seamless integration with Microsoft’s own hardware and software programs.
Straight out of the box, the earbuds connect right away with Swiftpair on Surface devices. Additionally the earbuds also have exclusive features that it can only do with Microsoft office programs such as PowerPoint and Word.
A presenter on PowerPoint can add live captions and subtitles on a presentation deck. Not only that, a writer may compose and author an article completely through dictations, and the earbuds will do the typing. According to several reviews, the dictation capture of the earbuds is far from perfect.
Flaws and rooms for improvement on earbuds
Although extremely helpful in productivity, the Microsoft Surface earbuds are far from perfect. The first among its flaw is its price point. The glaring price tag of the earbuds is the source of all criticisms on the device.
At $329, the earbuds do not come with any type of noise cancelling feature. This is an odd decision made by Microsoft considering the size and price point of the buds.
Additionally, the buds are quite restrictive. Microsoft never marketed this pair for physical activities. Nevertheless the price point cannot justify that a user has two pairs of wireless earphones, one for productivity in the office, and one for exercising.
Overall, the Microsoft Surface Earbuds are already in the right direction. Microsoft just has to tweak some of the products’ features to attract a wider audience.
Images courtesy of Microsoft