How do you solve a problem like earphones that wonât actually stay in your ears? A Canadian company says it has the answer in the form of a small, inexpensive clip to âmake them stay put.â
Industrial design firm OHM has developed the SPRNG clip, made specifically to fit the Earpods that come with Appleâs iPhone 5, the seventh generation iPod Nano and the fifth generation iPod Touch.
The clip is essentially a small, adjustable plastic rod that fits over the Earbuds to hold them in place.
OHMâs Kirk Mosna said his company was looking for a simple project during a slow period, and quickly turned to developing a product to solve a common complaint: that Appleâs Earpods just donât stay put.
âSo rather than throw your Apple Earpod away, we figured we could make use of it because itâs a good product,â Mosna told CTVâs Canada AM. âItâs beautiful and it sounds really good, but the problem is that sometimesâŚit falls out.â
Mosna said one hurdle they had to overcome was that everyoneâs ears are different, so making a one-size-fits-all product might have proven difficult. And because he wanted his intern, David Mackie, to have something to do while the company was between projects, he sent him out to photograph peopleâs ears.
That allowed the team to identify a fold of skin common to ears big and small, âand we tried to engage it as frequently as possible and in as many sizes as we could,â said designer Steve Orzel.
One of the key features of the SPRNG clipâs design is a sliding adjustment piece that allows it to fit most ears.
The SPRNG clip sells for US$10 and shipping is free throughout Canada and the United States. The product can be bought online at .