Another teeny-weeny solid-state speaker

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xMEMS Labs is an interesting company. The California-based firm is pioneering solid-state speakers — tiny, ultra-thin speakers that generate sound from special chips, no diaphragm or speaker drivers needed.

The company’s first solid-state speakers have started making their way into wireless earbuds, and the sound is phenomenal, according to our hands-on review of a pair of otherwise-unremarkable entry-level earbuds.

They produce “some of the most impressive audio I’ve heard in this price range,” writes David Snow, a Cult of Mac writer who’s reviewed a bunch of headphones and earbuds for us. “The xMEMS technology, which uses the same manufacturing process as computer chips, provides exceptional clarity and detail in the high frequencies.”

Now the company has unveiled even thinner speakers designed for AR glasses, smartwatches, open-fit earbuds and more.

The wafer-thin speaker would be perfect for a number of Apple devices. But obviously, ahead of any unannounced products, neither company is saying anything about possible collaborations.

Nonetheless, it’s interesting to read about new technologies that could enable a new generation of ultra-thin devices with great sound.

Also in today’s newsletter:

• New rumors suggest the upcoming “iPhone 17 Air” may be insanely thin.

• The brand-new M4 iMac is already seeing some discounts in early Black Friday deals.

• Love podcasts, but stuck finding new ones to listen to? Aside from the brilliant CultCast, of course, check out Apple’s list of the most popular podcasts of 2024 (localized for more than 100 countries and regions).

• For the first time ever, two options in one of our polls got zero votes -- see yesterday’s results below.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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