Say Hello to the Computer in Your Ear

This article was published in the Summit 2021 issue

by Jason Hodell, CEO, Skullcandy

Reflecting on the major innovations that changed my own life, I think about my college days. Lugging that coursework on a bunch of flimsy floppy disks, everything felt unstable and unsafe.  But then later, that evolution to storing everything on a hard drive inside the computer was a game-changer.

Later, portable laptops and WiFi brought another leap forward in ease and productivity when computing evolved from stationary to virtually anywhere.  Computing was truly “on-the-go.”

Then smartphones really brought it all together – computing, entertainment and communications.  They were perhaps the biggest leap of all, as they became our new personal “edge” of computing.  Those little computers were suddenly in our pockets and truly ubiquitous.

Well, up in Park City, Utah, Skullcandy is working away on another significant innovation wave. Watch out Utah because soon enough you too will be saying “Hello” to a new little computer in your ear.

Only five years ago, the majority of Skullcandy’s business was still in wired headphones and earbuds. No software; no firmware; no chips; no antennas; no batteries. Then it all changed.

Apple paved the way and taught all of us how their “truly wireless” earbuds could create another level of freedom, comfort and on-the-go communication.  Their tiny earbuds came packed with connectivity and intelligence that nobody in the industry could match.  It was yet another game-changer for consumers.  The challenge for many, however, was the price point.

On the other hand, Skullcandy is a youthful, democratic brand – we aim to provide innovative technology at accessible price-points.  We focus on giving our consumers some great options at retail price points below $100.

We engineered our own true wireless offerings starting at $25 scaling up to $100 price points.   Fast forward in time to today and now Skullcandy is proudly the US market leader in true wireless earbuds below $100, in both dollar share and unit volume.*   With multiple wear styles and our signature range of expressive colorways, consumers have taken note and rewarded us.

But -- the real magic is yet to come.  This revolution is in its early innings.  Think about the way we use smart speakers in our kitchens to access literally anything in the “cloud.” Infinite content and information.

That same freedom is quickly moving from the phone and up into our earbuds. “Hey Skullcandy” will get you started, and- instantly- communication, media controls, and headphone awareness are all controlled by your voice. You can keep pedaling down the street with your phone safely stowed in your backpack the entire time.

Skullcandy is aiming to bring this revolutionary and truly “hands free” vision to life while we work to fit your next personal computer into a tiny earbud with no wires.  Say “Hello” to the next level of freedom, communication and game-changing utility.

*The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service, based on True Wireless Earbuds Dollar Share and Unit Share YTD August 2021.

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