If a few days ago we learned of a patent that points to future AirPods with an interactive screen in its case, today we look again at a patent, this time one detected by ITHome (in Chinese) that points to another feature that, in Finally incorporated into headphones, it can mean a huge improvement in the experience of listening to music with them, by making it adapt to the environment in which they are being used at all times.
As a general rule, for this purpose we already have the classic equalization function, with which if we wish we can use different profiles that adjust to different environments, enhancing in each case those frequencies that we consider need to resonate more strongly than the rest. However, the possibilities of the iPhone in this regard are somewhat limited, since iOS only offers you a list of settings, it does not allow you to create custom profiles (something that, in truth, I have never understood).
Yes, there are apps for iPhone that integrate their own equalizer, some of them very complete. But of course, not compatible with Apple Music or Apple Music Classical, as with the offline modes of other services. In short, that the possibilities are limited and, because of this, we won’t always be able to find an equalization setting that suits the environment in which we are listening to music properly, which can end up tarnishing the experience.
This can be substantially improved if Apple finally decides to put the technology covered in this patent into use and, consequently, make AirPods recognize the environment and adjust playback parameters to it. To that end, the headphones seem to use the microphones, perhaps in conjunction with other sensors and perhaps also with data obtained from the iPhone. This information is used to try to identify the acoustic properties of the environment and, with this information, the final signal is rendered by the headphones, offering a fully customized spatial audio output.
The combination of sound adapted to the environment and the use of spatial sound sounds (never better said) wonderful, so although we are talking about a patent, which in the end may end up filed in a drawer, it may be precisely that type of technology for which that Apple usually highlights, and that can also become a sensational claim to attract more users. And yes, indeed, I am thinking especially of the possibilities of combining this technology with Apple Music Classicalas it could be an argument in favor of using AirPods to listen to classical music.
