From the dense archives of the Californian public offices a new document emerged during the night for which Apple patents an atypical device. The module refers to a possible future of the company, a future in which the fate of MacBook and Ipad hybridize to become a single entity.
Apple patents a new generation keyboard
The patent is dated May 3, 2022 and was initially intercepted by the watchful eye of Patently Apple, a portal which, as the name suggests, enthusiastically watches over the completed paperwork delivered by Big Tech to the US government. The file in question does not name specific products, however from the images and the text it is easy to understand what the general idea is.
Formally we are therefore talking about “a keyboard accessory equipped with a hinge that has multiple installation methods on a computing tablet device”, an element similar to the objects already available to the public, but which stands out for what appears to be a physical connection port. Unlike the keyboards for iPad currently on the market, the patented prototype would therefore not connect via Bluetooth, but through a docking system that would minimize latency problems and that could delegate energy management to the device to which it is connected only.
The methods of use of the proposed keyboard are in many ways similar to what is seen on the Acer Chromebook Spin 514. The tool it can therefore be used both as a screen cover and as a support “stand” through which to ensure an optimal view of the image, moreover the frame is designed to have a trackpad inside and what seems to be a storage area for the Apple Pencil. However, the graphic representation presented in the patent suggests that the idea can be raised to mere accessories.
The illustrations show a screen equipped with a graphical interface that is extremely similar to the macOS system, a detail that could suggest the aforementioned hybrid fate of MacBook and iPad. Although it is an interesting document, we still invite you to interpret it with due caution. To ensure a technical advantage, companies in the sector usually patent many products that are destined to exist only on paper, so it is not certain that the information in the archives is an anticipation of the world of tomorrow.
Source
US Patent 20220035417 A1