Apple markets the Vision Pro as the ultimate immersive piece of gear. While the claim is debatable, it can always be improved using haptic feedback. And what better way to do it with AirPods? Or so suggests a patent that was published earlier in the week.
On one hand, the patent doesn’t say AirPods specifically. Instead, it mentions in the abstract “an earbud” with “a haptic driver” that drives output through a “haptic surface”. But this is Apple we’re talking about,and the hyper-specific description makes it unlikely for other brands to be making it for their own features.
But back to the patent in question, it mentions driving said haptic feedback “in response to a haptic signal from a head-mountable device”. Which all sounds pretty self explanatory. Again, the bitten fruit brand doesn’t mention its own Vision Pro, but the company is already working on a sequel.
On one hand, it’s easy to see this being working for movies or games. But one example in the patent shows including haptic feedback when typing. The earbuds, as well as the case, are being used to triangulate the area for the virtual keyboard, though it’s unclear what sort of haptic feedback is being generated when used this way.
At any rate, as with any other patent, it’s not necessarily a sign of things to come. Though it would make for a slightly more compelling ecosystem, especially for whatever asking price it ends up having.
(Source: USPTO)
