Apple to patent iPod speaker

Cult of Mac says. According to a newly surfaced Apple patent, however, this may be a thing of the past, because future iPods could feature integrated speakers so that everyone can enjoy your music on the subway.

Apple's patent, simply entitled: “Speaker Clip”, was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office, and describes a method in which a piezoelectric speaker is built into a clip on an iPod Nano or iPod Shuffle.

The text of the proposed invention makes no specific mention of the iPod Nano, or even the similarly shaped iPod Shuffle, Apple Insider reveals. In fact, it doesn't even include Apple's iPod brand name. But the accompanying images show a device that looks like the current clip-on iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle, only with the new inclusion of an integrated speaker.

The new iPod would feature the same clip on the back that is found on the current wearable models, but that new clip would have a cavity in the middle. Filling that hole would be an "acoustical device", or speaker.

The filing shows the addition of a speaker into the attachment clip of the portable media players, Geek.com notes. This would all centre around having a recessed area within that clip. This recessed area would be large enough to house an acoustical member, which would be shaped in a way that allows for some rudimentary sound output. The size of the region could lead to a certain frequency, and additional holes or other features could further guide the sound that is produced.