Apple files patent for new AirPods case that will charge other devices

The Apple AirPods have been criticised for their design, battery life and most of all, availability. But it seems Apple has big plans for their awkward wireless earphones. The company has filed for a patent around the AirPods and its something quite out of the ordinary.

According to the patent documents, a special case for the Airpods will offer provision for inductive charging. This means it could provide power to devices such as Apple Watch, iPods, iPhones, iPads and even MacBooks in the future.

The schematics of the case show a watch on top of the case, which is probably the most suitable device. The current Apple Watch Series 2 comes with a 273 mAh battery while the current AirPods case has a 398 mAh battery. If Apple were to make a slightly bigger case, it could very well charge the AirPods and the watch.

The patent goes on to say, “Such devices can include, for example, portable music players (e.g., MP3 devices and Apple’s iPod devices), portable video players (e.g., portable DVD players), cellular telephones (e.g., smart telephones such as Apple’s iPhone devices), video cameras, digital still cameras, projection systems (e.g., holographic projection systems), gaming systems, PDAs, as well as tablet (e.g., Apple’s iPad devices), laptop (e.g. MacBooks) or other mobile computers. Some of these devices can be configured to provide audio, video or other data or sensory output.”

But in making a bigger case, Apple could risk the factor of portability. Of course, this is just a patent filing and it doesn’t mean that we are going to see an AirPods case with inductive charging anytime soon.

Publish date: April 10, 2017 1:11 pm| Modified date: April 10, 2017 1:11 pm

Apple iOS 10.3 will update Find My iPhone app to help owners locate lost AirPods

By tech2 News Staff /  25 Jan 2017 , 11:26

After pulling the plug on the 3.5mm headphone jack (with plenty of criticism) the dust has finally settled and Apple is now devising ways to help owners of its AirPods find their Bluetooth earphones. Apple’s next update for its mobile operating system, tagged as iOS 10.3, will add support for AirPods in the Find My iPhone app, bringing some relief for owners who often find themselves searching for their lost Bluetooth earphones. The same was revealed in the new iOS 10.3 beta update that is currently available as a public beta for iPhone owners who would like to download, explore and report some bugs.

In its final build, iOS 10.3 will add support in the Find My iPhone app for the new AirPods. Owners of the missing AirPods will be able to use the Find My iPhone app or switch to a desktop using the iCloud website to locate their earphones.

There is however a catch. The AirPods (as pricey as they are) do not pack in a GPS module; so the location you do get will be based on the last device they we paired with before they got separated and could no longer communicate. This again would also depend on the Bluetooth range of the owner’s Apple device.

Image: Reuters

Additionally, the owners must be signed into their iCloud account on all of their connected devices for the location tracking to work. If the AirPods happen to simply run out of battery life or happen to be in the case, the location shown on the Find My iPhone app will be the last place where the earphones were used before the owner placed them in the case.

Another cool feature that will be added via the iOS 10.3 update is the ability to play a sound on just one AirPod. This itself would also make for a quicker way to find the missing earphone, provided it is in the vicinity of your home or office.

The update comes as a part of the beta version of the software that just went live a few hours ago. iOS 10.3 is not expected to be a major update, but will bring plenty of new bits that should certainly make it worth the download.

Apple’s brand new AirPods are suffering from battery drain issues

By tech2 News Staff /  29 Dec 2016 , 14:21

Apple’s Rs 15,000 AirPods have just barely started shipping out and there are already complaints of battery drain issues with the case that comes bundled with each set.

The AirPods are wireless earphones that Apple introduced as part of its plan to unceremoniously dump the 3.5mm headphone jack. The AirPods are wireless and thus, require charging. You’re expected to simply pop them into their charging case whenever they run out of juice.

Apple promised that the AirPods would hold 4-5 hours of charge on their own and that the charging case would hold an additional 24 hours of charge.

The problem, that some users are reporting, is that the charging case is losing power even when not in use. Users are reporting overnight drops in capacity of between 15 and 50 percent even when the device is on standby and the AirPods are fully charged.

This should not happen.

Those with faulty AirPods have reported that Apple issued them replacements for free.

However, as Mac Rumours is quick to note, the underlying issue remains unaddressed. In its teardown of the AirPods, iFixit noted that the soldering on the chips wasn’t of very good quality, indicative “of poor quality control or a rushed manufacturing process”.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus’ so-called touch disease is also said to be a result of the shoddy soldering process employed by Apple’s suppliers.

This information doesn’t lend us any confidence with regards to the long term survivability of Apple’s AirPods.

Apple CEO Tim Cook terms AirPods as ‘runaway success’ without any figures

By tech2 News Staff /  29 Dec 2016 , 13:34

Apple CEO, Tim Cook raised some interesting questions by terming ‘Apple AirPods’ as ‘a runaway success’. The statement was in response to the interview given to CNBC Now during yesterday as Cook walked into the New York Stock Exchange. He detailed that the company is “making them just as fast as we can” citing tremendous demand from consumers.

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As reported by The Verge, the interesting thing to note here is that Cook did not give away any hard factual data to back up his claim and for now we will have to take his word. However, on digging further, we were greeted with a ‘6 weeks’ estimate time for shippment on the AirPods product page.

According to reports by MacRumors the AirPods are showing the same shipping estimate since the first day. The product will not be available till mid-February in the Apple Pickup stores.

This comes right after the reports that some customers are finding the charging case of AirPods malfunctioning after some usage. According to previous reports, the delay in the launch of AirPods was caused because of Technical issues and difficulty in manufacturing.

According to the details, one of the issues was an audio sync problem between the individual pods and the iPhone. But the shipping delay is not an important parameter because we don’t know the number of initial AirPods shipped and the manufacturing capacity of the production facilities that are making the AirPods.

Apple AirPods won’t ship before January 2017: Report

By tech2 News Staff /  02 Nov 2016 , 14:08

The new iPhones have said goodbye to the 3.5mm audio jack. We saw it coming and it didn’t hit us that hard, but that lightning to audio jack adaptor seems awful. Apple did see that coming, or may be not. But it did announce a new product that we weren’t anticipating, The AirPods.

These wireless in-ear headphones come with a simple pairing solution and are powered by Apple’s new W1 chip. According to the company, they use a Bluetooth-like technology for connectivity which has been developed by Apple itself. Claimed to deliver up to five hours of battery life it comes with a charging case (similar to the Samsung Gear IconX) that can hold additional charge that allows a user to charge them on the go. Apple claimed that one can go for up to 24 hours of usage without the need of a power outlet. The AirPods can also be used to trigger Siri.

Apple had announced the awkward looking wireless earphones along with the new iPhones and had said that they would start shipping in October. However there seems to be a delay. According to a new report the new accessory will not hit stores before January.

DigiTimes has reported that Inventec, the supplier for the AirPods, will begin the shipments from the month of January 2017. It is also being said that thanks to the AirPods, Inventec’s revenue will go up by 7 percent next year.

Another report from Apple Insider says that the AirPods will be ready to ship by the end of this year and will not delay for the next year.

When these earphone actually make it to the market, they will cost $159 or Rs 15,400 in India.

Apple says that AirPod supplies will be delayed without citing a reason

Image: Apple

By tech2 News Staff /  27 Oct 2016 , 08:31

Apple Inc said on Wednesday that its wireless AirPod headphones, which were suppose to hit the market this month, will be delayed. The company did not specify the reason for the delay. “We don’t believe in shipping a product before it’s ready, and we need a little more time before AirPod are ready for our customers,” Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said in an email to Reuters.

Apple unveiled the AirPod at the launch of the latest iPhone last month. The new iPhones come without the analog headphone jack. The AirPod plugs into the same port as the recharging cord, making it incompatible with most wired headphones without an adaptor. Apple includes the adapter.

Samsung Gear IconX. Image Credits: Samsung

The AirPods are a part of a wave of smart hearables, wireless earphones with embedded sensors that takes over some of the tasks of fitness trackers, smartwatches and smartphones. These include the Samsung Gear IconX that released earlier this year and the Bragi Dash with IBM Watson integration for use in workplaces.

Bragi Dash. Image: Bragi.

Apple miscalculated the demand for its latest iPhone 7 and the conservative estimates means that the demand may be more than the supply. The miscalculation could hurt the profits made by Apple over the critical Christmas shopping rush.

With Inputs from Reuters