For absolutely no reason – the reason being last month’s Eurovision Song Contest – I’ve been lurking in the Gen Z space, noticing the return of old-school gadgets. it starts with wired headphonesnow it seems that the desire for single-function gadgets has fully recovered, from point and shoot camera to MP3 player.
Perhaps that’s why Apple, a company that’s gained attention for popularizing the idea of music players as quintessential accessories, is working on a two-year-old patent. 9 to 5 There were reports this week that Apple had updated September 2022 Patents For use with iPod nano-type devices. The patent is titled “Devices, methods and graphical user interfaces for interacting with headphone boxes.”
The original patent was pretty exciting, so it became big news on the blog when it was discovered. Patent images show a redesigned AirPod case with a display that appears to be from 2012-era iPod nano—You may remember it as a small, square MP3 player that clipped to your shirt or bag.
The patent also describes Apple Music as a “source” app on the proposed device’s screen, which looks like the interface on the Apple Watch. Through the display, you can control audio playback, call Siri, reply to messages, and check the weather on iPhone. There’s even mention of a squeeze gesture for moving between music tracks.
Now, just because there’s a patent doesn’t always mean it’s going to happen. Apple treats its patents like roses in a walled garden. All flora and fauna are well cared for, even if they are not a major part of the ecosystem. But it’s fun to speculate on what might happen next and tie it to what’s going on in the zeitgeist.
In this hyper-connected world, a return to simplified devices sounds comfortable, and digital assistants have evolved into artificial intelligence companions with content-generating capabilities. Why not showcase this type of device when there’s evidence that Apple has repurposed and remarketed similar devices before? Apple Watch SE?
