Because your airpods and OTC hearing aids are using about half the number of microphones and speakers, with half the quality, and with an amplifier with about half the cost and quality as well. Airpods actualy do a little better than the 'OTC Costco' type amplifiers.
The lower quality amplifier means worse ability to tune, which trickles down to the other products.
The markup is probably closer to 300% which is no more egregious than Apple in this case (probably less tbh given their $2,000 wheels and $2,000 ram) -- with REAL hearing aids costing about $350-700 to manufacture for the more entry level 'real ones', which can go up as those components increase in quality.
Note the source you used also going back to early pandemic times, before the world experienced 30-40% inflation on everything. AND it's quoting a 2015 report. This is USELESS in terms of evaluating a comparison today.
NO ONE has tried to say Apple shouldn't be able to offer these products -- I have enthusiastically supported all of the developments assuming the consumer is fully informed. This is not happening, by design.
And then you have people like you with complete blinders on pretending its 'A or B' when its really 'A-Z'.
There is nothing wrong with critiquing the WAY a change happened, especially given all the other 'definition' changes we have been subjected to forcefully by the media and the state the last 5-7 years.
Go ahead and buy use 'acceptable' hearing assistance devices with apple, from costco, or wherever you feel like you are getting a bargain on your physical and mental health.
It's doing a huge dis-service to those who actually want a rock-solid product and to avoid succumbing to dementia because they can't hear anymore because they just kept jacking up the volume on their apple "hearing aids" (lol).
Anyway I'm done here because you have tunnel vision and are only latching onto shit to argue about instaed of the whole message. Enjoy your hearing-loss-induced dementia!
