Apple’s next AirPods case could come with touchscreen

A recently unearthed Apple patent hints that its new AirPods cases will come with touchscreen displays.

• READ MORE: Female and non-binary producers earned less than 5% of credits on 2022’s most-streamed songs, study finds

New documents spotted by Patently Apple reveal that the US Patent & Trademark Office granted a patent to Apple for AirPods cases featuring a built-in interactive touchscreen with an Apple Watch-esque interface. The documents list various app functionalities for the interactive display such as maps, weather, movies, messaging, radio as well as voice commands, which should indicate Siri functionality for interacting with apps.

The patent was filed in September last year, though there is no indication Apple intends to put the interactive display cases into production any time soon. The cases could even be sold separately from standard AirPods cases, though no further information is available at the time of writing.

It was rumoured earlier this year that Apple is apparently in the process of designing a cheaper version of its AirPods in a departure from its strategy of discounting older models. Analyst Jeff Pu said that the lower-priced model would be positioned to compete with other budget options, though he did not share any further information on the features that would be included.