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(by newsonly.org)Unlike most Starkey , this one sits behind the ear. That's one message Starkey Laboratories will push to customers this year, as it prepares to ...
(by newsonly.org)This is not your grandma's hearing aid. That's one message Starkey Laboratories will push to customers this year, as it prepares to launch its latest product line, dubbed Zon. Unveiled this week at the National Conference for the American Academy of Audiology, Zon is a departure for the Eden Prairie company in both form and function, said Starkey President Jerry Ruzicka. In developing the products, Starkey focused heavily on aesthetics. The devices, for instance, come in hues that mirror common combinations of skin tones and hair color. "Aesthetics was a high priority," Ruzicka said. "We knew what we had to do for performance. But we wanted to create something that doesn't look like a hearing aid, or looks like one you'd like to wear." The other major shift marked by the new line: the hearing aids sit behind the ear. In recent years, Starkey has concentrated on devices molded to fit directly into a patient's ear canal. The changes in Starkey's approach reflect trends in the industry, Ruzicka said. In 2007, behind-the-ear aids made up 51 percent of the total market. That's up from 24 percent in 2004, said Karl Strom, editor of Duluth-based hearing-aid trade publication Hearing Review. Ruzicka declined to reveal sales projections for Zon, but said he expects the products to help Starkey maintain double-digit growth. "We anticipate there will be high demand," he said, adding that [Zon] had greater than usual positive response from focus groups. Starkey's revenue grew 15 percent last year, and 40 percent in the prior year. It launched its last product line, Destiny, in 2006. The company spent about $10 million and two years developing Zon, and will begin shipping the products in May. Younger, broader market Overseas markets are one reason for the popularity of behind-the-ear aids, Ruzicka said. "The world market has been driven by traditional hearing aids."
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