Microsoft patents Surface Earbuds with innovative infinitely adjustable fit

At this year’s Surface event in New York, Microsoft launched many products, including the Surface Laptop 3, Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro X, Surface Neo, Surface Duo and finally the Surface Earbuds.

The new Surface Earbuds are truly wireless earbuds that work with any Bluetooth device and come with dual mic array and 24 hours of battery life.  They’re also compatible with digital assistants such as Siri and Google Assistant.

Surface Earbuds have a button-like design, and come with touch gesture support, allowing you to control applications without using a mobile device.

Now, Microsoft has patented a revision to the design of its Earbuds, which features an innovative adjustable fit which would mean users will be able to adjust how tightly the earbuds fit on the fly.

The patent filed on April 19th 2018 describes a new Earbud design that adjusts to the listener’s ear.

Generic adjustable in-ear monitors (IEMs) may suffer from a limited range of resilient ear plugs that may not adequately fit each user, and the user may prefer different ear plugs for different purposes when exercising, while the user’s interest in comfort may be higher when the user is relaxing). The presently disclosed technology is directed to IEMs. Instead, the ear plug is adjusted and / or different users.

General Adjustable In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) may suffer from a limited range of elastic earplugs that may not be suitable for each user, and the user may prefer different ear plugs for different purposes (eg, the user’s interest in a secure fit while exercising, while the user’s interest in comfort may be higher when the user relaxes). The technology currently disclosed addresses IEMs that allow the user to adapt without removing and replacing an associated earplug. Instead, the earplug is adjustable by the user to achieve a desired fit.

Users would simply need to twist the earbud with respect to the body of the headset to expand or shrink the earpiece, meaning users will have the ability to make the earbuds fit they way not just once, but whenever they feel like it.

We do not know if this design will ever come to market, but the current, also innovative,  Surface Earbuds will be available for $249 later this year, which is slightly cheaper than the upcoming Apple Airpods Pro are expected to be.  While the Airpods Pro are due to be released this month, the Surface Earbuds will probably be worth the wait.

Source: windowsunited