AirPods, Screens, and the Next Evolution of Wireless Headphones

Is the next step in how we listen going to be defined by something we touch? Apple seems to think so

Nearly a year ago, Apple discontinued the product that made them what they are today. After a long run of being a pop culture staple, the iPod was retired, leaving us with fond memories of an earlier and simpler era of consumer technology. But as the saying goes, legends never die and the legacy of the iPod still lives on through Apple’s other products.

It was recently leaked that Apple may be working on an update to their AirPods product that will drastically change the user experience by adding a touch screen to the case. This is a radical shift but also feels like a bit of an expected evolution of truly wireless headphones. If Apple goes in this direction, it is serving a niche that was lost by the demise of the iPod: the gym user that owned an iPod Shuffle.

Reincarnating the iPod Shuffle

Let me take you back to a time when the iPod Shuffle, a tech product from Apple without a screen, reigned supreme in gyms across the United States. The idea behind this device was that…