Apple Stops Selling Bose, Sonos And Logitech Headphones In Its Retail Stores

Ahead of new launches in its own audio category, Apple quietly removed headphones and other wireless speakers from third-party makers like Bose, Sonos and Logitech from its retail stores, Bloomberg reported Monday.

The iPhone maker has sold products of its rivals for a long time, but their audio gear was pulled from the website at the end of last month, the report said. Apple’s retail store employees were also asked to remove these products from the shelves.

Following this news, shares of Sonos fell as much as 7 percent in extended trading, and Bose and Logitech confirmed to Bloomberg that Apple will no longer sell their products. This move will be a big blow to Bose, as it depended on Apple to sell its products in shopping malls around the world. Logitech continues to sell other tech accessories in Apple stores, like keyboards and cameras.

Apple did not comment on this development.

The company pulled products of Bowers & Wilkins audio devices in 2016 and Band & Olufsen was taken off the shelves earlier this year.

This is not the first time that the company has rebuffed rivals’ products from its store. In 2014, it stopped selling Fitbit gear after announcing the launch of Apple Watch. Apple had stopped carrying Bose for a brief period in 2014 when the latter sued Beats, an Apple-owned company, for patent infringement.

The Verge reported that Apple may hold a hardware event later this month. The company has been working on over-ear headphones, including fitness-oriented models. The widely anticipated AirPods Pro and AirPods Studio headphones could have noise cancellation along with a transparency mode that allows external sounds for personal safety, according to a report.