Apple Just Patented a Better AirPods Max Case

It’s secure to imagine that Apple goes to launch a second model of its wonderful AirPods Max wi-fi headphones sooner or later, however we’re hoping that the firm will embody a greater carrying case the second time round. Our prayers is perhaps answered, as a new patent awarded to Apple could present a sneak peek at an improved design.

Some issues in life are a given. If you order a gentle drink, you’re going to get a straw, in the event you purchase a brand new automotive, it’s going to be delivered with 4 tires, and in the event you purchase an costly pair of wi-fi headphones, the corporate’s going to incorporate a carrying case that protects your funding when it’s not perched atop your head. But when Apple revealed its $550 AirPods Max over-ear wi-fi headphones again in 2020, many had been disillusioned and/or confused by its included Smart Case.

The case places the AirPods Max right into a low-power sleep mode when inserted (the headphones can’t truly be turned off) however present minimal safety. Yep, the complete headband and components of every ear cup are uncovered whereas inside. The Smart Case has been described as a bra and a handbag, and appears like Apple re-designing and over-engineering one thing that actually didn’t want it. The circumstances that corporations like Sony embody with their wi-fi headphones are boring however practical, and that’s all they must be.

In current years, in a post-Jony Ive Apple, the corporate has began to step again from a few of its extra controversial, problematic, and questionably helpful design choices. Its notorious butterfly laptop computer keyboards are lengthy gone, supposed improvements just like the Touch Bar are slowly disappearing, and beloved options like MagSafe energy plugs are returning. Could the AirPods Max case be subsequent?

As noticed by Patently Apple, the United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded Apple a brand new patent yesterday for “Enclosures with flexible magnetic closures and clasps.” The patent describes a fully-enclosed case with a seam that’s held shut by way of using “flexible magnetic members,” which kind of signifies that the case will stay securely shut when closed with out the necessity for a zipper.

Apple has lengthy been a giant fan of magnets, utilizing them to safe the covers on iPhone and iPad circumstances and for MagSafe: a secure and handy technique to join Apple’s smartphones and laptops to charging cables. The unique AirPods Max Smart Case additionally leverages magnets to place the headphones into its sleep mode, however hopefully when the following model is launched, the following Smart Case will do far more than that.