Apple's AirPods Pro, the best wireless earbuds on the market right now, will have to offer some compelling new features if it intends to keep its title with the second-generation model One such feature of the AirPods Pro 2 could be a great air gesture and touch gesture catalog

In a patent (discovered by PatentlyApple), Apple presents an AirPods Pro navigation system based on existing force sensor controls The patent describes how air gestures, as well as capacitive sensors on the device, can be used to enhance the experience of using the company's premium noise-canceling headphones

The patent explains how both touch and air gestures can work together on the earphones For example, when you tap the stem, the AirPods Pro's sensors can prepare for an air gesture These actions can be linked together to trigger different actions

"The earpiece can be configured to detect gestures, physical manipulations, etc performed along or on the earpiece," the patent reads" In response to the detected input, the earphones may be configured to modify various outputs, such as the audio or haptic output of the device"

Apple also points out how this system could be implemented in other devices Similar capacitive sensors could be present in everything from iPads and iMacs to Apple Watches and the rumored Apple Glasses

It is important to realize that this is only a patent and many of the ideas and designs Apple protects will never see the light of day Nevertheless, with force-sensor controls already in place, air gestures may be an inevitable evolution

Whether the AirPods Pro 2 or the Apple AirPods 3 will feature it is the elusive question here, thanks to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who says that the AirPods 3 will appear in early 2021, while another pair of AirPods are in the pipeline, we know