Rostov-on-Don, Russia – December 2019. Apple AirPods Pro on a wooden table. Wireless headphones and … [+]
A new Apple patent reveals a future AirPods design that may solve the issue of using the earbuds with gloves.
The documents, found by Patently Apple, show that the company is investigating a new multi-directional input control. The new touch panel would be able to register touches through vibrations caused by swiping up and down. This could mean that swipes to change the volume, for example, would be recognized through gloves, unlike the current capacitive method.
Currently, the capacitive touch controls struggle when used with gloves on. The force touch controls (pinching to play, pause and change ANC) work by pinching the stems and aren’t impacted by a gloved finger. Apple’s new technology, according to the patent, will reduce the rate of touches that aren’t properly registered.
The new responsive touch area resembles the vertebrae of a spine, which suggests that the new touch option will be able to register intricate levels of input. The new interactive area would also be placed where the current air vent is on the AirPods 2 Pro, which likely means a design change to relocate the airflow outlet.
Apple Doubles Down On Touch Tools
The proposed input method could open the door to new gestures and ways to interact with the AirPods. A patent application doesn’t guarantee that the feature, or product, will make it to market. But this isn’t the first time Apple has launched new input controls on its devices.
The iPhone 16 introduced a new camera control button for adjusting zoom and other settings with a swipe or press. Apple marketed this as a multi-functional input that can launch and complete a slew of camera controls.
Later, the company made the camera control button the gateway for its Visual Intelligence feature, which uses the camera to recognize objects in your area (identifying a plan, for example) with AI. If this new touch area on a future pair of AirPods becomes a reality, I can see Apple also making it multi-purpose and incorporating Apple Intelligence in some way.
Clearly, Apple is doubling down on new input methods to quickly launch select features and provide new gateways to AI features. One of the major issues with mobile AI since it landed last year, for all smartphone makers, is visibility. People need a reason to interact with mobile AI—a physical button makes it harder to ignore. Samsung persisted with its Bixby physical button for years before its in-house smart assistant fell out of favor.
