AirPods 3 use bone conduction technology to transmit audio in conjunction with traditional air conduction.

USTPO awarded Apple a patent on Tuesday for "multipath audio stimulation using audio compressors" (via AppleInsider), and all It suggests a system that incorporates bone conduction transmission into the standard air-based transmission employed by the best wireless earbuds.

The patent does not confirm that Apple has immediate plans to include this technology in the next generation of AirPods or AirPods Pro, but it does suggest that healable devices with multiple audio transmission paths are being tested.

This means that in certain scenarios, AirPods may one day be able to transmit signals through the bones of the skull and receive them at the eardrum, even if they are not in the ear.

If this happens, people will be able to enjoy music without blocking out ambient sound, and they may even be able to listen to music underwater, where transmission by air is useless.

Nevertheless, bone conduction as a primary source of audio transmission has not become widespread, mainly due to the fact that it does not sound very good. For example, when we tested the Lucyd Loud smart frame a few years ago, we could barely hear music and it was unlikely to be considered an effective means of listening to music.

We don't know many details about the AirPods 3, at least when compared to upcoming devices like the iPhone 12 and Apple Watch 6, but adaptive sound, customized fit, and active noise cancellation like We expect the AirPods Pro's signature features like adaptive sound, customized fit, and active noise cancellation to be adopted.

Apple's September announcement of the AirPods 3 along with the Watch 6 and iPhone 12 (which will not come with EarPods) is well-timed, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the AirPods 3 to arrive in early 2021. Kuo also believes the buds will appear in the sub-$200 price range and replace the AirPods 2 on store shelves.

AirPods with bone conduction may help Apple earbuds fend off the Galaxy Buds Live, which will offer active noise cancellation and a unique bean-shaped design at a much lower price than the AirPods Pro.