Is Apple going to revive the iPod? It certainly seems so! Apple has patented a new AirPod case design, that has a small screen on it. The new AirPod design also has provision for some memory and sensors, which would make it easier to play music right from the AirPod case. Image Credit: MacRumours
According to a newly disclosed patent, Apple is working on a future AirPods case with a built-in touchscreen display that would allow users to manage audio sources and interact with apps linked with the connected device.
“Devices, Methods, and Graphical User Interface Interactions with a Headphones Case,” filed by Apple in September 2021 and published last week by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, clearly depicts various embodiments for such a design, complete with images of AirPods and a touchscreen on the case’s front.
The patent states that “audio output device cases are commonly passive devices used to charge audio output devices.” “By configuring a headphone case with an interactive user interface to enable user control of operations associated with the wireless headphones, the utility of a headphone case can be enhanced, and user control over a user’s wireless headphones can be improved.” The patent goes on to say:
There is a need for a headphone case device that can control operations that are traditionally associated with headphones (e.g., playback controls, changing audio sources, changing audio output modes, etc.). There is a further need for a headphone case that can also convey information to a user, through haptics and/or display devices. Such methods and interfaces optionally complement conventional methods for controlling wireless headphones. Such methods and interfaces reduce the number, extent, and/or nature of the inputs from a user and produce a more efficient human-machine interface.
Apple envisions controlling Apple Music through the case using a capacitive touchscreen with a GUI that also provides tactile feedback, allowing the user to control audio playback, adjust volume, favourite songs, and interact with their music in other ways without having to look at the case.
In another iteration, the casing responds to precise motions like taps and swipes to traverse onscreen content and summon Siri. In one instance, Apple specifies how compressing the cover might change the AirPods’ listening mode, most likely referring to Noise Cancelation and Transparency.
According to Apple, the casing might feature extra processors and memory modules, allowing it to carry out certain commands often associated with smartphones, PCs, and other linked devices. Some embodiments, for example, depict the case’s touchscreen giving interactive access to iPhone apps such as Phone, Mail, Messages, Camera, Calendar, Weather, Maps, and others.
The patent claims that by including an interactive touchscreen display in this manner, “deficiencies associated with user control of wireless headphones are reduced or eliminated.”
The technology described in the patent, as with any filed patent, is unlikely to appear in a product anytime soon, if at all, but it does provide an interesting look at how Apple is exploring ways to make an AirPods case more of a functional intermediary between the AirPods themselves and the connected audio source.
Since the first release of the AirPods in 2016, Apple has worked to improve the functionality of the AirPods Case for various versions. The AirPods Pro case in particular has benefited from the addition of MagSafe wireless charging, a U1 Ultra Wideband chip that supports Precision Tracking with Find My, a lanyard loop, a built-in speaker for locating and status updates, and increased battery life.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.