
Ozlo’s Sleepbuds 2 build on Bose’s sleep earbud legacy
THE SO WHAT
Ozlo extending Bose’s shelved Sleepbuds line shows there’s durable demand for narrow, high-compliance wellness hardware, not just general-purpose earbuds. For consumer-device teams, this is a reminder that focused, single-job products can survive big-brand exits if they solve a chronic problem well.
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