Apple is adding hearing aids to its ecosystem, and it could be a game changer. The Hearing Aid feature in is designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss, and Apple said it can amplify voices, phone calls, and media sounds. While the Food and Drug Administration approved the Hearing Aid feature on September 14, I was skeptical of how well the tech would work in the real world.

Your boss might wonder why you're rudely wearing earphones during a team meeting, for example, or people might think you're listening to music or on a call when they want to talk to you. So I sought out an expert in the hearing loss community to get a better understanding of whether we should expect Apple's hearing aids to be a hit or miss. , an author who works with the Hearing Loss Association of America, helped shed some light on how the tech giant's target audience received the announcement.

Spoiler alert: I was wrong, and this sounds like something hard of hearing people need. Apple is providing a more affordable option Bouton, who lives with hearing loss herself, said she paid $3,000 for her first hearing aid about 30 years ago, and they haven't gotten any cheaper. The AirPods Pro 2 are available now for $249.

"I think they should do, probably, really, really well. The price is excellent," Bouton said. The made it legal for the FDA to regulate the sale of hearing aids that don't require a prescription or a trip to the audiologist.

Federal officials approved the sale of OTC hearing aids i.