Targeting aesthetic appeal first and foremost

Dec 11, 2009 13:33 GMT  ·  By
Imagery from Apple's patent application for an "Aesthetically pleasing universal dock"
2 photos
   Imagery from Apple's patent application for an "Aesthetically pleasing universal dock"

Apple may be gearing up for the release of a dock that universally fits any (Apple) device, reports say. A patent application filed by the Mac maker has caught the eye of those tracking Apple’s moves. These people are now speculating that a dock conforming to the shape and size of any device is being designed in Cupertino.

We would be enticed to think Apple was developing a dock that would fit not only its iPods and iPhones, but other portable gadgets as well. However, by looking at the imagery provided with the patent application filed with the US Patent & Trademark Office, it becomes clear that the invention only targets Apple devices. Moreover, Apple is generally concerned with the inter-compatibility of its own devices, trying to ensure a near-perfect user-experience.

“An aesthetically pleasing universal dock may support a variety of electronic devices of different shapes and designs while appearing to be customized to individually support each electronic device,” the abstract description of the invention goes.

“The universal dock may support an electronic device using a support layer that may include any suitable material, including, for example, an array of vertical members, an elastic sponge-like substance, or any other suitable material. The compression of the support layer may be retained for future use with the electronic device, or the compression may be relieved, once the electronic device is removed from the universal dock,” Apple adds.

The Mac maker then goes to explain exactly why such a dock would be necessary. “Currently, there are a wide variety of known electronic device docks that include a connection component for electrically connecting to an electronic device,” the patent application reads. Apple mentions that some of these docks use what the company calls “inserts,” to alter the look of the dock as it is being used for differently shaped devices. This is described as an effort to increase the aesthetic appeal.

“The shape of many of these docks is customized by using a collection of removable inserts that are inserted individually into the dock to give the appearance that the dock was designed to support an electronic device of a particular shape,” Apple’s exact words are. “However, these inserts may complicate the use of the dock, for example, if an insert that may be necessary to support a particular electronic device in the dock is unavailable to a user of the electronic device,” the company has found.

As a resolution, “It would be beneficial to provide a universal dock capable of properly supporting numerous types of electronic devices while eliminating the need for manual user intervention to customize the dock.” Apple emphasizes that, “A universal dock capable of properly supporting a variety of electronic devices while appearing aesthetically to a user to be custom designed to support each connected electronic device would also be beneficial.”

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Imagery from Apple's patent application for an "Aesthetically pleasing universal dock"
Imagery from Apple's patent application for an "Aesthetically pleasing universal dock"
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