Apple would have an ace up its sleeve in the audio sector. According to a patent published this week by the US Patent and Trademark Office, the apple house already has different designs for a future AirPods charging case with an integrated touch screen.
The screen would allow users to control the audio sources (phone, tablet, watch…) and interact with applications associated with the connected device. The title of the patent, “Devices, Methods, and Graphical User Interface Interactions with a Headphone Case,” shows various design options, complete with images of AirPods and the touchscreen on the front of the case.
“Audio device cases are commonly passive devices used to charge headphones,” the patent reads. “The utility of a headphone case can be enhanced and user control over a user’s wireless headphones can be it can be better setting up a headphone case with an interactive user interface to allow user control of operations associated with the wireless headset”.
The authors note that there is a need for a headphone case that allows control of operations traditionally associated with headphones (eg, playback controls, switching audio sources, switching audio output modes, etc.). but that also allows information to be transmitted to a userthrough haptic and/or visualization devices.
The description talks about different forms of control. The case, for example, will respond to specific gestures, such as taps and swipes to navigate the content on the screen and talk to Siri. It also describes how squeezing the case could even be a way to change the listening mode of the AirPods, likely referring to noise cancellation.
To this we should add the possibility of controlling Apple Music. What is not clear is whether downloads can be made by this means, although it is not ruled out since the patent suggests that the case could include additional processors and memory modules that would allow it to carry out specific instructions traditionally associated with smartphones. , computers and other connected devices. For example, some pictures show that touch screen provides interactive access to applications iPhone including phone, mail, messages, camera, calendar, weather, maps, and more.
Since the first AirPods were released in 2016, Apple has worked to improve the functionality of AirPods Case for different models. 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 built-in speaker for location and status updates, and a longer battery life. from the battery. If this advance finally reaches the market, it will be an interesting renewal of Apple that will set trends.
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