Apple gets patent for AirPods case with a touchscreen

Apple has received a patent from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for an AirPods touchscreen case, according to a report by tech outlet 9to5Mac citing a court filing. In the filing dated March 30, Apple provided numerous rough diagrams showing the functionality of an interactive user interface on the case. The diagrams showed the case providing notifications, playing music, helping with navigation, outputting audiobook media, giving weather updates, and letting users switch audio modes by squeezing the case. The company said, “the utility of a headphone case can be enhanced, and user control over a user’s wireless headphones can be improved, by configuring a headphone case with an interactive user interface to enable user control of operations associated with the wireless headphones.” The iPhone and MacBook maker is yet to issue a formal statement on the development or confirm whether such a product will even be manufactured soon.