Portable speakers like the Jambox are a pretty convenient solution for mobile tunes, but a recently published Apple patent filing shows perhaps an even simpler on-the-go way to share music with friends.
U.S. patent no. 20120281850 describes a way to create "Dual Mode Headphones" that can be operated either as standard headphones or in a speaker position, to share your tunes with those around you. In the patent background, Apple notes that this type of headphone could be used with a mobile device. Currently, if you want to share music from something like your iPhone or iPad, you can either rely on its weak internal speakers or tote a portable speaker (along with earbuds or headphones).
A powered amplifier would jack up the audio when the unit was in speaker mode. A sensor within the headphones would detect the current position of the headphones to know which mode it was in. (Apple lists a number of different types of possible sensors, including proximity, ambient light, capacitive, and resistive.) Alternatively, there could be a button on the earphones so users could select when it switched modes. To prevent possible accidental damage to the eardrums, another sensor could be included to detect the distance between the wearer's ears and the headphones and automatically switch to headphone mode.
Apple's no n00b in the audio space. Most recently, it unveiled its new in-ear EarPods, which are actually pretty great compared to their earbud predecessors.
