14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this week, Softpedia picked up on a story saying Apple had acquired a small San Francisco company that specialized in Bluetooth technology for use with wireless headphones, in a move that would put Apple in a good position to sell its own Bluetooth-enabled headphones.
A report by 9to5mac seemed to indicate that this was, indeed, the case. It pointed out that Wi-Gear was featuring a message on its web site saying it was no longer operational.
The tech blog also said it had discovered that of one of the engineers formerly working at Wi-Gear was an iOS Bluetooth Engineer at Apple, according to his LinkedIn profile, which also added credence to the rumor.
However, responding to an inquiry from Tech Trader Daily on the matter, Wi-Gear CEO Mark Pundsack said. “The rumor is false.” The CEO added: “Wi-Gear and its IP are still available for sale.”
Wi-Gear actually specialized in accessories for use with Apple iOS devices, so the story seemed to hold water.
The company makes (or made) three generations of A2DP stereo headphones called iMuffs, as well as a Bluetooth 2.0 adapter for earlier generations of iPhones and iPods that don’t support Bluetooth 2.0.
“At Wi-Gear, we believe that innovation comes from bringing value to the user and not through blindly pushing the technology envelope,” the company describes itself.
“We are passionate about creating intelligently designed products that improve people's lives. Our first product is borne out of our goal to build a world without wires. As we grow, our products will continue to be driven by thoughtful design, emerging technologies, and the user experience. You'll definitely want to stay tuned…,” their profile reads.
Bottom line, Cupertino is not making Apple-branded Bluetooth headphones. Not yet anyway, and certainly not using the talent and expertise of Wi-Gear staff.