Dyson has applied for a patent for headphones with a built-in air purifier. Is this a beneficial combination of tech or another gimmick no one really needs?
There’s often a logical benefit when two devices are joined up into one.Â
Portable MP3 players and mobile phones, for example, were both devices people were carrying around separately for a long time.Â
But the dawn of the iPhone and Android smartphone age has made it much easier for devices like these to merge together.Â
It’s easy to see the benefit with that example – two gadgets upgraded into one, and a step up for both.
But is that benefit still there if it’s not a device you’d normally carry around every day? I’ve not seen anyone with a portable air purifier on the train just yet….
Take a look at all our air purifier reviews
Music to clear the air
At a quick glance, I’d say there is a bit of logic to the design:
🎧 People wear headphones when commuting (in case you hadn’t noticed)
🎧 The air on trains, roadways and other heavily trafficked areas tends to be less clean, so…
🎧 People would potentially benefit from a device that both entertains and cleans the air
But I do have some questions…
You may already be aware that some air purifiers aren’t the quietest of devices; would you really want to put something which generates a lot of noise that close to your ears?
Would the air that it clears make a difference in an already-polluted space? Â
And, most importantly perhaps, is there a need for this sort of thing? When Dyson released its Pure Cool Me air purifying fan last year it had us asking if it was the brand’s most pointless product yet!

Odd couples
I’d be keen to hear from you; what other odd couple products have you encountered?
Which products have surprised you in how useful they actually worked out to be?Â
Which products surprised you in that they were even considered being made in the first place?
Let me know in the comments!