Apple Patent Puts Flash Storage, Device Settings In Headsets
Apple’s patent policy—filing for basically any idea that any employee is willing to sketch, ever—gives us an endless supply of speculation grist, some interesting, some not. Take this patent, which calls for flash microstorage in headsets and earbuds.
The patent describes the sharing of device settings, preferences and even media between iPods or iPhone by means of a sort of smart headset, which stores personalisations in a small cache of flash memory. As described, it sounds a bit strange, and its purpose isn’t entirely clear: most of the functions are things that fall under the purview of syncing, which is something that most iPod/iPhone users do regularly anyway, and which they have to do when buying a new device anyway, mooting the “it makes transitioning easier” angle.
But for certain settings, it makes some sense: volume and EQ settings, for example, could be kept the same between devices. It’d be a teeny, tiny feature add, but it’s far from implausible. [Unwired View]
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
I like the idea of it remebering what volume you like, then you could replace the volume up and down with forward and backwards. Although I kind of liked what they did with the iphone headphones they have now, where the middle button has multiple clicks...one click pause, two next song, three back a song....I just never end up changing my volume that much.
loriensleafs
If Apple patents having sex, I... I dunno what I'd do.
@SysRq: Ahh I see, I've never used them personally, I must say I'm a bit of a Sennheiser fanboy :P
this is bullcrap
nikaru
And people laughed at Calvin Klein's USB drive/sun glasses!
Oh wait, I'm still laughing too.
crsh1976
@SysRq: In the future, as circuit printing technology improves, we will probably get Apple logos with integrated electronics tattooed onto our foreheads. It will then vibrate music directly into our skulls.
Hello Mister Walrus
@Hello Mister Walrus: You also need somewhere to display that beautiful Apple logo on your no-nonsense jeans or on the lapel of your no-nonsense jacket.
@Ketch2k8: The cheap ones that come with your iPod are indeed rubbish. But the higher end in-ear headphones are quite nice.
@Purple Monkey Dishwasher: That's basically the newest generation iPod Shuffle. The problem, as you said, is not the technology. It's that they need to come up with a good user interface for such a small device. The iPod Shuffle got bashed by reviewers for this reason.
I'm thinking mind control. WoOOoooOooo...
Hello Mister Walrus
It sounds like a really good idea but I know for a fact I'd never purchase them from Apple and I know I wouldn't use them if they came with an Apple product plainly because Apple headphones are horrible, tinny cheap rubbish. If Sennheiser made compatible ones however.....
Pretty soon that's all you'll have, headphones. There might not be a need for an iPod, aside from the visual aspect of seeing what songs you pick. Flash can already be made small enough to hold a significant amount of data small enough to fit in headphones.
Purple Monkey Dishwasher
Are you sure its not hinting toward a wired tampon device?
evo190