Trademarks for 'AirPod Case,' 'Iris Engine,' 'Touch Bar,' and More Hint at Future Apple Products

Trademark lawyer Brian Conroy today shared the culmination of months of intensive research on Apple trademarks, giving us some solid insight into what the company might be working on based on its trademark filings around the world.

First and foremost, Conroy has tracked down a trademark filing for the iPhone 7, seemingly confirming the "iPhone 7" name just ahead of tomorrow's event. The larger version of the iPhone, the "iPhone 7 Plus" is also mentioned in a separate filing, confirming that name as well.

appletrademarkfilings
Conroy has also found a trademark filing that confirms the "AirPods" trademark has been registered by Apple. MacRumors first discovered the AirPods trademark late last year and linked it to a lawyer associated with Apple, but Apple was careful to use a shell company for trademark registration. While there was little doubt the AirPods trademark belonged to Apple, there is now no question.


Alongside the AirPods, which are said to be wireless Bluetooth earbuds, Apple also appears to have trademarked the name "AirPod Case," which is in line with rumors suggesting the AirPods will come with a battery case that is aimed at charging them on the go to increase battery life. The AirPods are rumored to feature four hours of battery life sans case and they could be announced at tomorrow's event along with updated Beats headphones.

Conroy has also found trademark filings for future Apple products that include "Apple Iris Engine," "Apple Iris Image Engine," "Apple Smart Button," and "Apple Touch Bar," which he plans to cover in greater detail in later posts. Apple is rumored to be working on iris recognition capabilities for the 2017 iPhone, and "Apple Touch Bar" could potentially refer to the touch panel that's built into the next-generation MacBook Pro, rumored to be coming this October. Apple Smart Button is less clear, but could potentially refer to the new touch-based flush Home button coming in the iPhone 7.

Software-based filings have also been discovered, including "Apple Swift Labs," "Apple Progress Card," "Apple Breathe," "Apple Smart View," "Apple Rich Links," "iBooks Storytime," "Control Strip," and many other trademarks for known iOS 10 features. macOS Sierra trademarks that hint at alternate names Apple might have used for the operating system have also been discovered and will be shared later.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iOS 26.1 Beta Liquid Glass Battery Drain Test: Tinted vs Clear Mode

Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing. Test Settings I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Says U.S. Passport Feature on iPhone is Coming Soon

Monday October 27, 2025 7:41 am PDT by
You will "soon" be able to add a digital version of your U.S. passport to your iPhone, according to Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Bailey reiterated that the feature is coming soon during her keynote at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas on Sunday. On its iOS 26 page, Apple says the delayed feature will be "coming later this year." Apple's...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone XX? 6 Features Rumored for Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday October 27, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by
For the 10th anniversary iPhone that came out in 2017, Apple introduced the iPhone X with Face ID, notch, and minimized bezels, providing more display space than ever before. The 20th iPhone anniversary is approaching and Apple wants to take the iPhone X design even further. We're two years away from the 2027 iPhone, but it's tough for Apple to keep major changes under wraps. We've rounded...
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...

Top Rated Comments

MrGimper Avatar
119 months ago
Trademark lawyer Brian Conroy today shared the culmination of months of intensive research ('http://brianconroy.com/') on Apple trademarks

Dude needs a woman, badly
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Born Again Avatar
119 months ago
I keep confusing Airpods with Air Bud

Sorry - it can't be unseen

Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smacrumon Avatar
119 months ago
Love the sound of the "Iris Engine".
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdillings Avatar
119 months ago
I keep confusing Airpods with Air Bud

Sorry - it can't be unseen

Fingers crossed Air Bud makes an appearance at tomorrow's event.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gorms Avatar
119 months ago
Bet cash money right now that Iris Engine relates to the dual lens camera tech (Lytro camera style ability to refocus image after the fact on the fly) and NOT iris scanning.

Now please up-vote the **** out of this comment so it gets in front of more people's eyes before they start daydreaming about getting them scanned.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OldSchoolMacGuy Avatar
119 months ago
If only people would remember that Apple trademarks countless terms that they never end up using. Just because they've trademarked a term does not mean it'll be part of a product at any point in time.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)