Could an Exercise Monitoring System Be Coming to the 2nd Generation of Apple’s AirPods?

It’s not exactly par for the course that we openly talk about the second-generation of a product when the first-generation of said product hasn’t even launched yet, right? Well, hopefully by now you know that Apple, as a multinational tech-titan, doesn’t exactly do things in a manner that could be considered “par for the course” in any meaningful way, either. For instance, while shipments of the Cupertino-company’s hot new wireless AirPods continue to simmer on the back burner — a full two months after their initial unveiling, mind you, it appears that Apple has already set its sights on the future of wireless headset technology beyond the soon-to-launch AirPods.

According to a [recently revised] patent that was originally granted Apple back in November, 2014, the company is looking into the possibility of installing a “Sports monitoring system for headphones, earbuds and/or headsets” on future-generation AirPods, as defined by U.S. Patent No. 9,497,534 registered by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Though the patent was granted Apple back in 2014, the filing with the USPTO was updated earlier this week to reflect a number of notable changes that Apple had made — many of which could ultimately make their way into Apple’s future-generation headsets. Chiefly among these changes, according to iPhoneHacks, include “integrating a full-fledged fitness monitoring system into earbuds.” Apple would achieve this feat, in part, via the help of an advanced package of biometric sensors, which will themselves be capable of tracking body movement. Moreover, this super-advanced sensor package will be able to measure crucial aspects about your health, such as current body temperature, heart rate, perspiration levels, and more.

Last but not least, while the original patent filing suggested that Apple could employ a system by which head gestures control various aspects of its AirPods, it now appears from the recent revisions that Apple will instead use a system very similar to that employed by its current AirPods — offering up a selection of touch-sensitive controls on the sides of each AirPod for controlling Siri and volume, for instance.

Of course, for the time being, we recommend taking this news with a heaping grain of salt — especially since customers are still awaiting the delivery of their first-generation AirPods, but also because the future of this patent, in and of itself, remains unclear. Still, though, I think one would be hard-pressed to deny the usefulness of exercise monitoring headphones — especially if you prefer to enjoy a side of music with your workout, right?

 

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