Dyson set to launch headphones with air purifier initially called an April Fool's joke

Dyson is set to sell its new headphones with air purification which it denied were an April Fool's joke when they were first unveiled at the end of March.

The British technology company said the Dyson Zone is designed to help people who live in noisy and polluted cities, given their noise cancelling ability and air filtration system.

However, the eye-catching design left social media users puzzled on initial viewing. The headphones go on sale from January in China and March in the US, the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore, priced at $949 in the US — significantly more expensive than, say, the Apple AirPods Max, which are being sold for $549.    “Following five years of research and development, the headphones deliver up to 50 hours of ultra-low distortion, advanced noise cancellation and faithful, full-spectrum audio reproduction,” Dyson said.

“The Dyson Zone also captures 99 per cent of particle pollution as small as 0.1 microns, whilst K-Carbon, potassium-enriched carbon filters target prevalent acidic gases most associated with city pollution, including NO2 [nitrogen dioxide] and SO2 [sulphur dioxide].”

The headphones have 11 microphones within, with surrounding sounds monitored up to 384,000 times a second, Dyson said.

The detachable front bar sits over the wearer’s mouth and nose and acts like the face masks that have been so prevalent during the coronavirus pandemic.

The visor can be lowered when the wearer is speaking or detached completely when not in use. “Air pollution is a global problem. 99 per cent of the world’s population live in areas that exceed the World Health Organisation safe levels for pollution,” Dyson said.

“In many geographies, local man-made pollution isn’t the biggest threat — in Europe, West Asia and Africa, the primary source of air pollution, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, is windborne dust.”