How Bose designed the best new earbuds on the market

For rethinking a tired form factor, Bose is a winner of Fast Company’s 2024 Innovation by Design Awards.

Unlike traditional earphones that shoot sound directly into the auditory canal, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are designed to wrap around the ear, delivering a more natural audio experience without blocking environmental sounds. The design is elegant, but Bose’s engineers faced complex challenges in refining the form factor, which is the winner of Fast Company’s 2024 Innovation by Design Awards in the best design North America category.