Apple's Patent Outlines MacBook Keyboard Capable of Charging Your Smartphone
MacBooks from Apple have remained largely unchanged in looks over the past decade, despite the company constantly churning out patent ideas. The latest models sport some modern features, but the fundamental design remains as traditional laptops. With a plethora of patent ideas sitting idle, one recently approved patent illustrates the potential for Apple's MacBook deck to transform into a flexible touch-sensitive input surface or wireless charging pad for the iPhone.
This patent includes the possibility of using transparent materials like plastic, glass, or ceramic to create such a surface. Adopting this concept could replace traditional tactile keyboards with glass touch-sensitive surfaces, sparking our curiosity about the potential of a reminiscent Lenovo Yoga Book C930 e-ink keyboard enhancement.
In a twist, Apple envisions the keyboard with a watertight, flexible 'fabric cover' membrane, keeping the keyboard mechanism intact while offering waterproof protection and resistance to contaminants. Fitting both palms and phones on the keyboard could become a challenge as space might be restricted - a potential drawback that Apple seems to be addressing with their mini iPhone policy put on hold.
The patent also hints at integrating biometric sensors like fingerprint readers into the palm rest for improved authentication, while monitoring heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and temperature. An entire palm rest area could be configured as a graphics tablet, providing a customizable and adaptive interface based on the software being used.
Although the patent focuses on transforming the traditional keyboard, Apple has shown interest in innovative input methods in the past. Their history signifies the potential of flexible input surfaces or wireless charging pads in future MacBook models, depending on technological feasibility, market demand, and competitive landscape. But until then, we can only speculate about the promising future of Apple's MacBook lineup.
The proposed tech in the patent could potentially see the death of traditional tactile keyboards, as Apple considers replacing them with glass touch-sensitive surfaces. This shift towards future technology could drawbacks, such as limited space on the keyboard for both hands and devices. Apple is also exploring the use of rotary dials in their upcoming concepts, which could offer a more intuitive user experience. Despite the plethora of patent ideas, Apple's MacBook design has largely remained untouched by these innovative concepts, with the latest models still sporting a traditional appearance.