After Apple updated entry-level AirPods with AirPods 3, and after rumors already surfaced about AirPods Pro 2, it was AirPods Max’s turn. Any future for high-end Apple headphones?
According to rumors, based on a patent, the Cupertino-based company may already be working on bone conduction technology to improve privacy.
Headphones we all know, whether they’re open, closed, or tucked into the ear, aren’t the only way to get sound to our ears.
Bone conduction technology is also an attractive option in certain fields or for certain uses. So, according to a patent, this technology appears to have caught the attention of Apple.
The main attraction of the bone conduction audio system is that it does not emit any sound. As such, no one around us is able to hear what we hear.
Basically, there is a system that vibrates directly in our skull bones which we can only convert into sound and hearing.
Bone conduction adapters for privacy
This rumor revolves around a patent filed by Apple entitled “Privacy Bone Conduction Adapters”. The name and description of the patent clearly show Apple’s interest in this technology.
So from your point of view, the Cupertino company is interested in this technology primarily on the privacy side.
Due to the nature of the outer ear, there are, as far as we know, two candidates to take advantage of this technology: AirPods Max and Apple Glass in the future.
According to the patent, the headphones used can have different audio channels. Someone, said to be private, will use this bone conduction to ensure that only the content of a phone call is heard, for example.
Apple Glass or AirPods Max?
Well, in fact, perhaps Apple is looking beyond the rumors. In other words, if we transfer this technology to Apple Glass, we can imagine something like the bars themselves capable of transmitting the device’s sound to us.
In this sense, the approach becomes more interesting, as we move away from the potential virtual reality headset to approach everyday glasses.
It would not make sense if the “classic” frame was accompanied by a headset that transmitted notifications and conversations through the speakers.
The bone conduction sound allows us to use our ears freely and, at the same time, hear sounds that only we can hear.
Bone conduction linked to Apple device intelligence
However, there is a very interesting fact. In the patent, Apple explained that information from the device’s cameras could be used to decide which audio channel to use.
Thus, glasses or headphones can understand where we are, or perceive that someone is talking to us in front of us, to direct the audio to the system that ensures complete privacy.
In short, the patent opens several lines of possibilities associated with the development of Apple’s hearing technology. Does this apply to AirPods Max 2 or Apple Glass?
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