Apple patents detachable wireless earbuds

Here's the very latest on iPhone 7 rumours. According to a report in Apple Insider, the next iPhone may come with "magnetically detachable wireless earbuds." The rumours come courtesy a patent granted to the technology giant for a hybrid headphone design capable of both corded and wireless operation.

The patent has been awarded by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent reportedly "shares design similarities with regular earbuds. Both appear, according to the Apple Insider report, "sport a main audio cord branching off into two leads — one each for right and left earbuds. In practice, however, the invention relies on two separate cables; one connecting the stereo headphones together to form a listening subsystem, and another tethering that subsystem to a host device."

Apple's hybrid earbud concept first came to light as a patent application in the year 2012. This was just days after the company launched EarPods with iPhone 5.

There have also been reports that the company plans to ditch the headphone jack to make way for a stereo speaker in iPhone 7.

The part of the phone that currently holds the jack — on the left hand side of the bottom of the phone — will be used for an extra speaker to allow the phone to send out stereo audio, according to a research note from analysts at Barclays.

Presently, iPhones feature just one speaker panel on the right hand side.

There have also been speculations that Apple could offer entirely wireless headphones over Bluetooth.