Trademark attorney Brian Conroy today published evidence of new trademarks that Apple possibly plans to use for upcoming products. Most notably, the trademark filings reference an “Iris Engine” and “AirPods case,” leading to speculation that Apple could use the branding for new products and features to be unveiled at its event tomorrow.
The discoveries follow previous reports of filings for the “AirPods” trademark thought to be a name in consideration for new wireless headphones Apple has in the works. We reported earlier this year that Apple was working on truly wireless cord-free earbuds and supply chain reports this week noted Apple is developing a wireless chipset to be used in new headphones targeting a higher-end market compared to its Beats brand. The “AirPods case” trademark referenced in today’s report would make a lot of sense as an accessory for that product…
Other manufacturers like Samsung and Bragi offer a charging case with their cord-free headphones, some with an internal battery to offer charging and therefore extended battery life while on the go. This is what Bragi’s looks like:
And with Apple’s iPhone 7 expected to feature a new 12 megapixel camera and a dual-camera setup on at least some models, it’s reasonable to believe that Iris Engine could be part of Apple’s branding there. A separate but related trademark filing spotted in the report is for “Apple Iris Image Engine.”
Other trademarks that Conroy connected to Apple include Apple Smart Button and Apple Touch Bar, which one could reasonably speculate might be considerations for OLED touch panel features/branding for the rumored 2016 MacBook Pro expected to arrive later this year.
Additionally, the report notes trademarks were found for Apple Swift Lab, Apple Progress Card, Apple Smart View, and Apple Rich Links.
We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see if any of this branding becomes official, or if Apple even has its much rumoured AirPod wireless headphones ready to launch alongside the iPhone 7.
