New Apple Patent Application: iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle Receiving Integrated Speaker?
A newly published patent application from Apple points to a new speaker integration feature for the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle.
According to the application, the new speaker is placed into the clip of the iPod Nano or Shuffle, and a small section of space within either device's clip would hold the piezoelectric speakers.
The material for the speaker may be designed using space age material. This particular material was once used in NASA's Apollo lunar module.
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The patent application also shows a hole in the iPod clip. This clip is said to allude to leaked photos for a potential rear-facing camera for the iPod Nano.
Technology website Patently Apple gave some more information on this purported addition to mini media players: "In some embodiments, the cavity size may be shaped to create a particular frequency response or to otherwise influence the sound produced by the acoustical element.
"In some embodiments, the interior surface of the cavity may be modified to increase the size of the cavity, to control the frequency response of the cavity, modify the amount of air displaceable by movement of the diaphragm of the acoustical element, and/or to direct sound waves within the cavity and/or out of the cavity. The shape of the surface may be configured to resonate at a certain desired frequency or frequency range that is desired based on its shape,” the website added.
This patent application, previously filed in May 2010, is referred to as the "Speaker Clip." The lead designer on the application was listed as Ben Filson. Filson left the company last year to join Tony Fadell's Nest Labs project.
Two other members from Apple's industrial design team, Eugene Whang and Matt Rohrbach, are also listed.
Apple's mini media players may become popular once more with a new internal speaker. Although, Apple made no official comment on its patent application.
