Imagine hearing Siri privately let you know it’s time for your next meeting and where it is, or give you verbal directions about which street to turn onto while riding your bike, or read back a text message to you while you’re walking — all without blocking the sound from your surroundings. That’s a true “personal assistant.” You could even talk to Siri anytime and anywhere, with a high degree of confidence the service would hear and understand you — almost like the Amazon Echo in your home but available with the same reliability anywhere you go. None of this is far-fetched based on Siri’s current capabilities, but current headphone hardware is not designed technically or socially for these use-cases. AirPods could be designed for having Siri in your ears to proactively keep you up-to-date without distracting from your surroundings.