Apple patents new AirPods case with interactive display

[Eric]

Apple patents new AirPods case with interactive display

Apple’s AirPods have gained a bunch of new features since their first generation in 2016. However, they’re still essentially earbuds...

9to5mac.com

AirPods could become a standalone product in the future with a smart case​

As noted by Patently Apple, the US Patent & Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent for a redesigned AirPods charging case. The front of the case would have a touchscreen display similar the one of an Apple Watch. Based on patent description and images, the display built into the case would offer media controls and even basic apps such as Maps, Weather, and notifications.

Also according to the patent, users would be able to switch between apps using Siri commands. One of the images even shows the possibility of transferring a song from AirPods to a HomePod using Handoff.

The patent was filed by Apple in September 2022, which shows that the company could indeed be exploring this idea internally. Of course, Apple files a lot of patents, but only a few of them are actually used in real devices. Still, it’s intriguing to imagine AirPods running a UI-based operating system with a touchscreen.

Love the AirPods Pro so I'm looking forward to this upgrade.

 

[GermanSuplex]

That would be quite cool. The Apple Watch pisses me off to no end that there isn’t a cool album art “now playing” screen. It’s blurred in the background, similar to the image above. I want to see the artwork of the song I’m playing.

I can’t think of a scenario where I’d need this other than it being cool to look at, since I usually have my phone and watch on me, but Apple is usually pretty good at adding tricks and additional features to make it feel like a must-have.

 

[Roller]

Unless they add storage and other hardware, I can't imagine how this would be useful, especially since the cost and power consumption would increase. About the only feature I'd like to see is a display that consumes very little power (maybe ePaper) to show charge remaining in the case and the AirPods.

 

[Eric]

Not sure what sort of additional functionality this would add but it looks like there are more possibilities. One thing I would like is better communication with my MBP, connectivity is really inconsistent and I have to enable it much of the time.

 

[Roller]

Not sure what sort of additional functionality this would add but it looks like there are more possibilities. One thing I would like is better communication with my MBP, connectivity is really inconsistent and I have to enable it much of the time.

Connectivity to my laptop and iPhone for listening is generally good. It can be improved, but I don't see how a display would help that. I sometimes have difficulty getting the iPhone to show the charge status of the AirPods and case when I open it, so an independent very low power display might be useful.

 

[Cmaier]

To be clear, because it’s a pet peeve of mine, no, the USPTO did not grant Apple a patent on this. They published a patent application.