Although for years we have seen how Apple has opted to maintain quite similar designs Among the different updates of its flagship products such as the iPhone, we must not forget that it is one of the companies that has risked the most in terms of innovation since its inception. Something that seems they have not yet lost, surprising us now with a curious AirPods patent, which presents us with a redesign of its headphones that will not be used in the ears.
As you read it, Apple has patented a headset without a headset. Spotted by PatentlyApple, the company has filed a patent for what they have titled will be a “portable device with directional audio«a device that will allow us to listen to music without disconnecting from what is happening around you.
And it is that although more and more companies are betting on adding systems such as active noise cancellation, being completely isolated from the outside world when using headphones outdoors can become dangerous. Noise-canceling features are great when we want to tune out from our surroundings, but constantly having to remove our headphones ends up being a nuisance.
Thus, the new Apple patent seems to be working on a direct solution to all these problems. In the submitted document, Apple describes a portable audio device that is capable of sending sound to your ears without having to wear it anywhere near your ears, with an attached image showing a device placed in the user’s neck area. From this curious location, the device will send sound waves that reliably reach the user’s ears.
At first glance, it basically looks like these AirPods are nothing more than a loud speaker in our chesthigh that unfortunately many of us have experienced in our trips on transport and public roads, and that tends to be quite annoying and inappropriate when we have people around us.
However, Apple’s idea will go one step further. According to the patent the audio waves produced for these reinvented AirPods will be focused by a parametric array of loudspeakersbuilt in such a way as to limit the noise reaching other people while still providing loud and clear output for the user.
A system that, although it may be somewhat difficult to imagine, we have seen in other devices such as smart glasses, and even some neck speakers for home use. Thus, it remains to be seen how Apple hopes to solve two basic premises: the distance that the sound must travel, and the precise orientation of it.
While it’s still too early to tell whether or not Apple will scrap this idea, it’s certainly a pretty curious course for its AirPods. And you, What do you think about this idea?
