Bose Sleepbuds Discontinued, but You Can Get a Full Refund
Bose is putting its noise cancelling Sleepbuds to rest after discovering battery problems that can’t be fixed. Anyone who purchased the $249 Sleepbuds are eligible for a full refund if the device is returned by December 31, 2019.
Sleepbuds were launched in June 2018 and were designed to help wearers with improving the quality of their sleep by blocking external sounds. The wireless earbuds featured a snug fit and while they weren’t able to stream music, they could be preloaded with “soothing sounds” to aid in the process of drowning out noise from your surroundings. When it was time to wake up, the buds had a built-in alarm.
Although the product was well received with thousands of backers on Indiegogo, customers have reported problems where the battery won’t fully charge, and where the device powers down unexpectedly—or both. Bose hoped to address the issues with software and firmware updates but that proved unsuccessful and after closer inspection of the hardware, Bose learned that the battery it chose for Sleepbuds simply doesn’t work as “consistently or predictably” as it should.
Now a little over a year since they first launched, Sleepbuds have been discontinued. As mentioned, folks who purchased Sleepbuds can get a full refund if the product is returned by December 31. However, if you’d prefer to keep your Sleepbuds, you can hang onto them and if any problems arise, Bose will take care of things through its warranty program.
Bose notes that although the current version of Sleepbuds didn’t quite work out, the company is going back to the drawing board and it remains committed to creating a version of Sleepbuds that holds up to the quality people have come to expect from the Bose brand name.
“We’re sorry for disappointing you, and we’re sorry for not communicating more clearly along the way. We had good intentions, but unless that makes a difference to you, it’s not enough,” the company wrote in its announcement. “We’re ready to hear from you. And we’re going to stay right here for as long as you need.”