Apple has long been known for its love of two materials – aluminium and glass. They are used in the iPhone, iPad, Mac unless these materials are not found in AirPods. But in AirPods Max, on the contrary, there was a place for aluminium; large cups of these headphones are made of it. But Apple doesn’t want to stop there. The company wants to use GLASS in the next generation of AirPods Max. Why? There are at least two reasons: because it looks great and may have better acoustics than aluminium. But glass can break if the headphones are dropped. Will it be safe?
The current generation of AirPods Max have cups made mostly of anodized aluminium. Still, a recent patent from Apple indicates that the corporation will use glass in the cups. Thus, Apple wants to achieve better sound quality, and along the way to do something unusual in the headphone industry.
AirPods Max glass
Headphones have been around for over 100 years, but the on-ear headphones’ design and performance remain somewhat unchanged, says Apple’s patent application. “Thus, there is a need for advanced headphone design and performance.
Apple is quite happy with the headband and digital crown that adjusts the headphones’ volume, even though this solution has met with conflicting reviews from users. But why use glass in cups? Apple wants to add touch sensors to headphones and … improve their appearance. Like they look bad now.
Headphones can have a touch sensor area configured to allow the user to control settings and media playback. This area can be made from various materials such as polycarbonate and/or glass.
But when choosing between plastic and glass, Apple is, of course, choosing the glass.
The advantage of polycarbonate is that it is shockproof, but it is prone to scratches, Apple says. “However, glass has the advantage of being more scratch resistant and more aesthetically pleasing than polycarbonate.
Why do you need glass headphones?
If Apple does switch to glass in its headphones, it will affect the acoustic properties of the headphones and their sound absorption. For example, the $ 2,000 Sennheiser HD 820 headphones use glass to minimize resonance and provide a realistic, more natural sound.
Glass can block some sounds, reduce others, and allow certain frequencies to pass through. So its very properties could make AirPods Max better, if not for one problem. Glass is fragile.
Apple’s idea is to make an “outer exposed surface” of glass, followed by a “ring edge” plus a “protective adhesive”. But no matter what coating Apple comes up with, the glass will always be glass, even if it’s Gorilla Glass. And dropping headphones off the table is easy.
Notably, this patent belongs to five inventors, including Christopher D. Jones. His previous application is related to the design of glass panels in Apple Car, which is also equipped with sensors. Apparently, Apple is recruiting employees from different departments to improve devices that have potential. For example, many of Apple’s Mac patents are also developing new technologies for the iPhone.