Apple has been granted a patent that likely hints at a new design direction for the controversial earphone smart leather case that comes with Apple’s AirPods Max. When Apple launched its high-end $549 AirPods Max earphones last year, the included smart case caused a lot of discussions online due to its odd look and poor overall protection compared to the traditional hard cases that come with other high-end earphones.
Apple’s venerable case has even sparked a flurry of meme parody, with netizens comparing it to everything from handbags to underwear and even body parts. The mixed response has led many to wonder if Apple will rethink its design in future models, and a newly approved patent may offer an idea of what Apple might take next.
The patent, filed by Apple in June 2017 and approved by the USPTO today, summarizes various implementations of “a case with a flexible magnetic closure and fastener,” but the attached “only” Illustrative “images leave readers with little doubt about the specific use case Apple has in mind.
In the case of the headphone case, the patent describes a full-coverage two-part case that opens and closes with a pair of magnetic “mating bars” along the seam and a magnetic clasp on the top. Inside, meanwhile, a splitter separates a pair of headphone earcups, while the head beam can be seen arching over the splitter.
Another image offers top and side views of the headphone case, as well as a perspective view of what appears to be a more traditional design compared to the current unibody folding design, leading some critics to think Apple is going after the iconic Decreased feature priority when fashioned.
Like all patents, this one is likely to die, but Apple is likely planning a new version of the AirPods Max to include features it said it had to drop due to development challenges and production issues.
Early rumors suggested the headset would feature a replaceable headband, a touchpad for controls, and no specific left-right orientation, but those features didn’t make it into the final product.
It’s possible that future versions of the AirPods Max will include features that were missing from the first release, but all we know so far is that future releases will have more color options.
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