What's old-school is new again
Marketplace Morning Report

What's old-school is new again

B2Upper-intermediateSeptember 30, 20266 min

Corded headphones are so back. Bose announced new wired earbuds this week and is calling the renewed interest a “cultural renaissance.” It’s all part of a revival for older tech — things like analog alarm clocks and point-and-shoot cameras — especially among Gen Z consumers. We'll explore the trend this morning. Plus, we’ll head to South Texas, where skilled trades programs are preparing workers for major industrial projects. Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter. Marketplace Morning Report is more than a radio show...

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Not anymore, though.

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The company is calling the renewed interest a cultural renaissance.

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B2

B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 36%A2 45%B1 16%B2 3%C1 0%
  • 97% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 167 words a minute: natural, fairly fast speech.
  • 38 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

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0:00

What's old is new again, and a building boom creating opportunities in Texas. From Marketplace in Washington, I'm Kimberly Adams. Remember the earbuds with the white cord that plugged into your phone or iPod from like 20-ish years ago?

0:18

Some of us never let them go, but for most, they're a relic of the past. Not anymore, though. Bose announced new wired earbuds this week. The company is calling the renewed interest a cultural renaissance.

0:31

As Marketplace's Caitlin Tan reports, this is part of a larger analog tech comeback. Wired headphones are all over social media. People love them, including Instagram user Zanely, who posted a reel about it. You know, I was cool and all that, but there's just some about the OG wires that just go

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