Apple AirPods may be getting a feature no one wants

Key Takeaways

Apple may be changing its AirPods case design with touch-sensitive controls.
This potential feature could complicate user experience, straying from simplicity.
Innovation isn’t always necessary; simpler design of the current AirPods is better.

One of the best parts about Apple’s headphones is their relative simplicity. The Apple Airpods Max don’t even have a real case, they just use plastic wrap that the headphones can be folded up into. The Apple Airpods Pro are a nice and clean white case that looks good because of the lack of bells and whistles. However, it appears the Cupertino company might be about to change that.

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The potential change in the AirPods’ design is unexpected, to say the least. It introduces a feature that no current Apple AirPods Pro user has requested. This change would transform the simplicity of the case into a more complex design, potentially detracting from its clean aesthetic.

Apple AirPods possible new feature is unwanted and unneeded

We already have too many screens

Apple

A recent Apple patent filing has revealed a potential game-changer for the AirPods. If implemented, this feature would revolutionize the AirPods case, allowing users to control their audio experience through touch-sensitive controls on the case’s face. This is a significant departure from the case’s current function, which is primarily for wireless charging.

Certainly, this filing would take things in a new direction for the Apple AirPods. It’s just not clear why Tim Cook and company want to go that direction when more and more consumers seem to believe that simpler is better.

Certainly, this filing would take things in a new direction for the Apple AirPods.

According to the filing, Apple is not going for simplicity with this potential redesign. It would allow users to control whatever they are listening to by swiping on the controls on the case screen. There’s also a chance that the interactions could be controlled by using a stylus, which almost certainly means the Apple Pencil.

Setting aside the fact that almost no one would want to need to have an Apple Pencil in order to control their music. Even if it’s not a requirement, having to pull out a new device in order to control the sound in someone’s headphones, instead of just controlling it on the iPhone or iPad seems extremely counterintuitive.

Beats Studio Buds+ photo next to red slash line with VS in middle on other side photo of Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation (USB-C)

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Simpler is better for music

Apple would take AirPods in wrong direction

In an era where far too many devices seem to allow users to do a little bit of everything, retro tech like the 2024 version of the Sony Walkman is gaining popularity. People just want their devices to do what they were made for and not much else. They just want to turn on their music or their podcast or their audiobook and not have to worry about how to pause or play, or fast-forward or rewind. Making things more difficult for the sake of “new” isn’t something Apple’s customers want. It’s hard to understand why the company might believe the opposite.

Granted, this isn’t the first time a patent has included this kind of touchscreen interface in its plans for the AirPods Pro. So far, Cook hasn’t implemented the design. Perhaps cooler heads will prevail, and this change will never take place. Sometimes, innovation isn’t a good thing. Sometimes, it’s better for the company to understand it’s got a good thing going with the simple design of the current Apple AirPods case.