How do you solve a problem like earphones that won鈥檛 actually stay in your ears? A Canadian company says it has the answer in the form of a small, inexpensive clip to 鈥渕ake them stay put.鈥�
Industrial design firm OHM has developed the SPRNG clip, made specifically to fit the Earpods that come with Apple鈥檚 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.
OHM鈥檚 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 Apple鈥檚 Earpods just don鈥檛 stay put.
鈥淪o rather than throw your Apple Earpod away, we figured we could make use of it because it鈥檚 a good product,鈥� Mosna told CTV鈥檚 Canada AM. 鈥淚t鈥檚 beautiful and it sounds really good, but the problem is that sometimes鈥t falls out.鈥�
Mosna said one hurdle they had to overcome was that everyone鈥檚 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 people鈥檚 ears.
That allowed the team to identify a fold of skin common to ears big and small, 鈥渁nd we tried to engage it as frequently as possible and in as many sizes as we could,鈥� said designer Steve Orzel.
One of the key features of the SPRNG clip鈥檚 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 .
