For Apple, it's all about the details. And one of the details of its iconic white earbuds seems to be bothering the crew in Cupertino — all those seams.
A new patent application published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, spotted by AppleInsider, details Apple's idea for new iPhone and iPod earbuds with a seamless "unibody" structure. The filing describes how different components of the headphones could be welded together with a process called "ultrasonic bonding" for a more aesthetically pleasing look.
The technique would involve melting together just the contact points of the various component pieces, as opposed to using adhesive. This would result in headphones that appear to be made of one single piece of plastic, even though they really would be constructed out of multiple pieces.
A separate patent application published this week describes another way Apple could improve its earbuds, according to AppleInsider. In its filing, Apple says that holes are needed in the cap of the earbuds for sound to travel, but the creation of those holes could leave behind remnants that hinder sound and appearance. Apple's solution is a tool for "deburring" and polishing the curved plastic cap of the earbud so that no remnants are left behind in the holes or on the surface of the headphones.
Meanwhile, Apple's next iPhone could also get a unibody frame. Earlier this week analyst Brian White with Topeka Capital Markets predicted that the next iPhone will also have a sleek new look featuring a single unibody frame and a larger screen. White said he gleaned insider information about Apple's next-gen iPhone during a recent tour in China and Taiwan, where he visited various tech suppliers.
Apple's MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops already sport unibody enclosures, meaning a single piece of material is used to craft most of its body.
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