Some big changes could come to Apple's AirPods soon.
The wireless headphones were introduced when Apple took the headphone jack away from iPhone 7 users, in order to give them the opportunity to still listen to tunes while on the go. They're pretty smart buds, with the ability to get firmware updates and everything. But Apple has more intense plans for its AirPods; it wants to add biometric tracking capabilities to the headphones.
- Denon AH-C21R review: Comfortable, affordable in-ears with a classy sound
- AKG N60 NC Wireless preview: The ultimate headphone all-rounder?
In a report from patent-tracking site Patently Apple, which discovered a bunch of new AirPods patents, one recently filed patent with USPTO specifically shows an in-ear AirPod with a biometric sensor, though the details on how this sensor would work are vague. Keep in mind Jabra's Elite Sport Wireless Earbuds can do heart-rate monitoring, so maybe that's the type of functionality Apple wishes to explore.
If so, iPhone users wouldn't need chest straps or third-party devices to track their health. Patently Apple also discovered plans to add EKG sensors, impedance cardiography sensors, and more fitness-tracking technology into the wireless headphones, which makes us think Apple is keen to turn its AirPods into something that doubles as an audio device and a fitness tracker of some sort.
- Dior Homme x Sennheiser: Fashion hits headphones hard
- B&O Play BeoPlay E4 buds promise uninterrupted Scandi sound
Of course, patents don't always come to fruition. So not everything detailed in these patents may make it to the AirPods, but it's certainly nice to wonder and imagine all the possibilities, or at the very least, peek behind the Cupertino curtain and see what Apple is dreaming up.