Apple has filed many patents, but most of them never became official consumer products.
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In China, an emerging counterfeit device manufacturer has borrowed the Air Pods Pro idea proposed by Apple in 2021 with the highlight of having a touch screen integrated into the case.
Based on information shared by the manufacturer of the fake headphones, after opening the box cover, the screen will be activated allowing users to select noise control options, the Find My feature on the headphones, and select settings. equalizer preset and screen lock. The screen also shows the battery level, current time, and Bluetooth connection status of each Air Pod.
This concept actually comes from a patent that Apple registered in 2021 which reads: “By providing an interactive user interface on the headphone box, users can control related activities to wireless headphones, which can enhance the practicality of the headphone box and enhance users' understanding of wireless headphone control."
In the demonstration solution, Apple envisions controlling Apple Music through the headphone box using a capacitive touchscreen with a graphical user interface (GUI) and providing haptic feedback, allowing the user to use audio playback controls and volume adjustments, collect songs, and interact with music in other ways, similar to the fake devices we saw with the aforementioned fake Air Pods.
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The patent claims that by integrating an interactive touchscreen in this way, shortcomings related to user control of the wireless headset will be reduced or eliminated.
As AirPods have become popular, counterfeit wireless headphones have been seized at the US border in record numbers in recent years. According to a 2021 report, the country's Customs and Border Protection seized about 360,000 pairs of counterfeit wireless headphones in the first nine months of the year, with a retail value of $62.2 million.
US Customs says 80% of counterfeit goods entering the US originate from China or Hong Kong. While it's unclear how many of the counterfeit headphones seized are AirPods, US Customs said the number of seizures has increased 50% in the past five years as products like Apple's earbuds have grown in popularity.
Counterfeit AirPods may use genuine Apple serial numbers and are often indistinguishable from the genuine product with the naked eye. Many fake AirPods Pro have quite effective noise control features, but integrating a touch screen into the case makes it even more impressive than the genuine product.