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Apple Researching AirPods Case With Built-in Interactive Touchscreen
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Here's my mockup of the AirPods with a display case that I posted six months ago:
I want a no-screen option still. I would never use this, and it will just suck up extra battery power.
Seems entirely useless if you have an apple watch. And even then, it's still entirely useless if you have an iphone.
So now we don't need an iPhone or watch?
Just airpods?.... what's next, a touchscreen on the apple card?
also, what the hell is earID, and why did you remove the stems? How will you remove/insert them from your ears?
No offence, but you're not serious with these mockups, right?
Just give us a few battery indicator lights, similar to the older Macbook Pros. We'll control everything via the connected device or Airpod stems.
What I would like is for them to add like the old iPad Shuffle to the case so it has a tunes too. This would be great for using at the gym when you don't want to carry your phone so it doesn't fallout and get damaged or disappear. At work where having phone out is frowned upon. Just the have airpods and their case is okay or desired.
Apple has designs on a future AirPods case featuring a built-in touchscreen display that would enable users to control audio sources and interact with apps associated with the connected device, according to a newly published patent.
Filed by Apple in September 2021 and published last week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, "Devices, Methods, and Graphical User Interface Interactions with a Headphones Case" clearly depicts various embodiments for such a design, complete with images of AirPods and a touchscreen on the case's front.
"Audio output device cases are commonly passive devices used to charge audio output devices," reads the patent. "The utility of a headphone case can be enhanced, and user control over a user's wireless headphones can be improved, by configuring a headphone case with an interactive user interface to enable user control of operations associated with the wireless headphones." The patent continues:
In one embodiment, Apple envisions controlling Apple Music via the case through the use of a capacitive touchscreen with a GUI that also provides tactile feedback, allowing the user to control audio playback, adjust volume, favorite songs, and interact with their music in other ways without necessarily looking at the case to do so.
In another embodiment, the case responds to specific gestures such as taps and swipes to navigate onscreen content and invoke Siri. In one scenario, Apple describes how squeezing the case could even be a way to change the listening mode of the AirPods – likely referring to Noise Cancelation and Transparency.
Apple suggests that the case could include additional processors and memory modules that would allow it to carry out specific instructions that are traditionally associated with smartphones, computers, and other connected devices. For instance, some embodiments show the case's touchscreen providing interactive access to iPhone apps including Phone, Mail, Messages, Camera, Calendar, Weather, Maps, and more.
By integrating an interactive touchscreen display in such a way, the patent argues, "deficiencies associated with user control of wireless headphones are reduced or eliminated."
As with any filed patent, the technology it describes is unlikely to appear in a product anytime soon, if at all, but it does offer 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 AirPods launched in 2016, Apple has worked to enhance the functionality of the 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 lanyard loop, a built-in speaker for locating and status updates, and increased battery life.
(Via Patently Apple.)
Article Link: Apple Researching AirPods Case With Built-in Interactive Touchscreen
I think this is a case of "patent everything we could ever conceivably do" situation.
I don't even usually take my case with me. I slip on my AirPods and go for a walk, leaving my case in the office. This would just kill the already lackluster battery life.
I do miss the click wheel. I still have my original iPod around and often use it. It's fun scrolling. lol
That is exactly what I was thinking too, although in a more cynical way.
My question is why add these controls to the AirPod charging case? Might as well use the iPhone if I need to get something other than the AirPods itself to control the music. On the other hand, as a research or concept project, not a bad idea to play around with this and see where it can go.
Why not add cellular capability (among some other items) and make it the iPhone Micro. I can use my iPad Mini and Apple Watch for everything else. It could be a bit larger for a larger battery and some electronics. The Apple Watch probably won’t be able to accommodate this for some time due to battery life.
Answer the phone by putting the AirPods in your ears (if not already there).
Answer the phone by putting the AirPods in your ears (if not already there).
Kudos to the person that took the time to do this, but its just another iPhone in a weirder shape, a much less useful shape and I don't know why you'd want to always leave your phone behind and bring this instead. It's barely smaller than an iPhone - what it loses in height, it gains hugely in bulk. Number one, all that tech you show above wouldn't be possible in a form factor so tiny without some SERIOUS drawbacks - poor performance from a tiny low power chip, tiny battery, ridiculous screen limitations. Also if it was in some way possible it would clearly weigh much more than the current AirPods case and hence would be a bulky heavy weight in slimmer than usual trousers these days. And if you ran with it, it would throw itself around your pockets like a stone in a bag and wouldn't sit nicely in your pocket like an elongated phone would. Also how do you unlock it, wake it up?
Also explain stemless earpods?