Is a Screen Useful on AirPods? Check Out This Knockoff With a Display

[MacFan23]

We can thank the "Services" push ...

Innovation has taken a total backseat

More that the products have just matured at this point. How much more do we realistically want this stuff to do? It's just refining what works at this point.

Apple is clearly still pouring a ton in to R&D, but just don't have another hit yet and may never do again.

 

[CalMin]

The case lives in my pocket so I am not sure I would use this. I'm sure I would find some utility in it, although thinking of what it would allow me to do that I can't do on my phone is challenging.

 

[TracerAnalog]

This is a great idea. I’d want to have a strap so I can put it on my wrist though. And a clock function, maybe a heartrate monitor?

Great idea.

🤓

 

[JForestZ34]

Many will say this is foolish or not needed. But until Apple actually came out with one then they will say it’s great

James

 

[Yoms]

Well Dan, this is a hard question. I'm still trying to figure out why one would need SMS notifications on the Apple Watch when their phone is a few inches away in their pocket. So, a screen on the AirPods' case? This is beyond my cognitive abilities.

 

[Kevin2055]

Well Dan, this is a hard question. I'm still trying to figure out why one would need SMS notifications on the Apple Watch when their phone is a few inches away in their pocket. So, a screen on the AirPods' case? This is beyond my cognitive abilities.

Not everyone has their phone in their pockets, especially girls.

 

[boswald]

If it could gain a cellar or WiFi chip and be used sans iPhone, that would be great for me. I’d love to grab my visual AirPods and go for a quick walk with only 1 device instead of 3 (or more).

 

[turbineseaplane]

How much more do we realistically want this stuff to do?

Tons!
There is so much space to innovate

They aren't even really trying past "tweaking cameras" over and over again...and super minor form factor changes .. both of which combine to make "all new accessories!" needed all over again

Apple innovation is in full blown late stage rent seeking mode

 

[newyorksole]

i already have a screen for my Airpods.. It's called an Apple Watch..

came to say EXACTLY this. I would never use a screen on the AirPods case nor would I want the case to even have the option.

I put my pods in my ears and put the case away. I don’t keep it out and wouldn’t change my flow and keep it out just because it has a display…

 

[applefan8254]

Either a screen and/or a few physical buttons like the wired EarPods remote has. For easily pressing next track, previous track, volume control etc, without having to buy a separate $200 Apple Watch. So while you’re taking a walk or a jog, you can easily control volume and track control without looking down. Be holding the case. Would be nice if these basic track control and volume functions were built into the AirPods case. A small screen could do the trick, but as I said before, some physical control buttons (potentially in addition to the small screen) would be nice.

 

[turbineseaplane]

came to say EXACTLY this. I would never use a screen on the AirPods case nor would I want the case to even have the option.

I put my pods in my ears and put the case away. I don’t keep it out and wouldn’t change my flow and keep it out just because it has a display…

Not everyone is you, though

Different people can have different interests

 

[PsykX]

Would have been cool like 15 years ago if it was in fact the iPod Nano.
Today I'm not sure I see a benefit.

 

[klasma]

No. Completely unnecessary.

I have a pair of BT earbuds with a similar case (that don’t try to look like AirPods at all, they aren’t even white) that displays the case battery percentage, which I find quite useful, compared to Apple where you need to use your iPhone and have an AirPod in the case and open the cap to see the percentage.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Would have been cool like 15 years ago if it was in fact the iPod Nano.
Today I'm not sure I see a benefit.

Many of us would LOVE a replacement for an iPod Shuffle or Nano that was in some way integrated with AirPods

The fitness/exercise space would be a beautiful slot for such a product

 

[BB1970]

The whole idea of AirPods is to make the music listening experience sort of “invisible” with the controls. Hence they’re on the stems. That said, if they were to make any, all would be needed are some indents (for tactile feel) on the case for forward, reverse, pause, etc. But again. Never once did I think I wish my case needed a screen.

 

[Darren.h]

cheap knock offs from China. thats what happens when you send all manufacturing to China. they steal your intellectual property to make a cheap knockoff.

they copied the Tesla model 3. now they have the best selling EV. Soon to be manufactured in Mexico Destin for the American market.

 

[blazerunner]

I like it. If one can control some basic functions and get status information through the screens it would be a hit.

Steve Jobs would have told you you're WRONG because it has a small display and a tortured UI. Remember the iPod Shuffle? That's EXACTLY what he said about the competition and then released a device with NO display and everyone just mindlessly clapped. Need proof? Here's the presentation:

It's amazing how Apple's consumers flip flop on things. Screen? BAD! No screen! GOOD!!! Fast forward to 2024: No screen, bad!

 

[blazerunner]

i already have a screen for my Airpods.. It's called an Apple Watch..

You had one before your watch too, it's called your phone. Not sure why you needed a watch for it.

 

[DutchApplePie]

Seen a few earbuds with screens on their cases, even from some not-so-obscure brands. Personally don't see the point and that's probably just less battery capacity that goes to charging the earbuds themselves.

 

[Pre86]

If you've ever wondered what it might be like to use AirPods with a display, well, a Chinese manufacturer made a fake version of the AirPods complete with a screen that we decided to test out. Would a touchscreen actually be worthwhile on AirPods?

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

The display on the fake AirPods activates when the case is opened up. It shows connectivity status, the time, the battery level of each earbud, noise control options, "Find My" settings, and equalizer presets. Other additions include customizable wallpaper, a flashlight, and a feature for controlling the iPhone's camera.

You're basically only able to control settings with the display, which is mildly useful. Actual AirPods need to be controlled through an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, with some options available through the Control Center/Status Bar and others buried in the settings app.

The touchscreen on the fake AirPods is, to put it politely, garbage. It doesn't register touches some of the time, the sound is mediocre, there are non-functional buttons, and the equalizer settings just make everything sound worse.

So why did we buy these earbuds? Apple patented a similar concept back in 2021, describing a set of AirPods with a built-in touchscreen display that can be used to manage settings and also control playback. In Apple's patent description, there are options for adjusting volume, favoriting songs, playing and pausing, skipping songs, and more.

Apple suggested that the touchscreen could offer tactile feedback and provide a more convenient way to control wireless earbuds.

We don't recommend counterfeit products, of course, so you should not go out and buy these. The fake AirPods do give us some idea of the utility of a touchscreen and how it could be used, which is interesting to imagine. Would you want an AirPods case with a touchscreen? Let us know in the comments below.

Article Link: Is a Screen Useful on AirPods? Check Out This Knockoff With a Display

Don't need a screen. Just a better way to see remaining battery capacity. Having to pull out my phone and open a widget is TERRIBLE UX.

 

[klasma]

I put my pods in my ears and put the case away. I don’t keep it out and wouldn’t change my flow and keep it out just because it has a display…

You leave your case at home when you go out with the AirPods?

 

[klasma]

Don't need a screen. Just a better way to see remaining battery capacity. Having to pull out my phone and open a widget is TERRIBLE UX.

Displaying the current song, time left and so on, and having more controls than on the AirPods themselves would still be nice though, so you don’t have to carry around your iPhone for that all the time.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Don't need a screen. Just a better way to see remaining battery capacity. Having to pull out my phone and open a widget is TERRIBLE UX.

It's pretty amazing from the company that had little exterior lights to see the battery status on laptops two DECADES ago

All I can think is that they cheaped out

 

[turbineseaplane]

Displaying the current song, time left and so on, and having more controls than on the AirPods themselves would still be nice though, so you don’t have to carry around your iPhone for that all the time.

The case + the Pods could be an amazing music/podcasts on the go product

If Apple truly cared about our "wellness" they'd empower ways like this to not be so tied to our phone.

What's really going on is that they have a conflict between their desired health and wellness branding and their business interests of "MAX PHONE ENGAGEMENT!!!!"

 

[TechnoMonk]

I need less screens in my life, not more.