Time for Apple to catch up with their own copycats.
A company in China has beaten Apple by producing fake AirPods with a feature Apple had only planned: an OLED touchscreen case. Apple originally outlined this feature in a patent in 2021 and revived it in 2023, but it never came to light.
Knock-Offs Outpace Apple’s Innovation
The news came to light through an X (Twitter) user, lipilipsi. These tweets included photos and a video showing knock-off AirPods with an OLED touchscreen on their case.
These knock-offs closely resemble the details described in Apple’s 2021 patent, which proposed a capacitive touchscreen with a Graphical User interface (GUI) for managing music and other interactive features.
Apple’s patent imagined the AirPods case as a mini control center, activated by simply opening the lid.
Users could scroll through music, adjust the volume, and control playback across apps like Apple Music. The patent also suggested changing audio sources and output modes with tactile feedback.
Gestures such as swipes, taps, and squeezes could activate Siri, switch noise control modes, and toggle between apps. And, the case could also provide access to iPhone apps like Maps, Weather, and Messages. This can enhance the user experience while improving battery life through more efficient controls.
The release of the counterfeit AirPods before Apple’s announcement of using the patent points to a larger issue in the tech industry.
Counterfeit AirPods usually closely resemble genuine Apple products, making them difficult to distinguish. However, this development shows the counterfeit manufacturers’ ability to not only imitate popular products but also keep up with their innovations.
Other Earbuds With Touchscreen Case Technology
While the fake AirPods have attracted attention, other legitimate brands are also experimenting with touchscreens on their earbud cases.
The JBL Tour Pro 2, for example, have a case with a touchscreen that allows users to control their music. This also lets them change noise cancellation settings and even customize the look of the case with different wallpapers.
JBL has also added this feature to its JBL Live TWS 3 series, after receiving good feedback for the JBL Tour Pro 2.
Samsung also showed off a concept for its Galaxy Buds with a small OLED screen on the case at the last CES 2024. This is designed to show useful info like time and battery life, mimicking the display of their smartwatches.
Though just a concept for now, it shows that the idea of making the earbud case more than just a charger is catching on.