14 DAY TRIAL // An Apple patent application was published on Thursday, revealing a thin portable hardware accessory that includes all components that users may need in order to create a laptop surrogate for iPhones and iPads.
The patent application was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office and carries the name “Electronic accessory device.” It describes an accessory that looks like a laptop, having a large display, physical keyboard, graphics processing unit and various ports.
However, the accessory isn’t capable of functioning as a full-fledged laptop unless an iPhone or iPad is connected to it. The image shows that an iPhone would fit into an opening that replaces the touchpad on many laptops. The iPhone could also serve as a touch input, just like the touchpad on laptops. Users would be able to double click or scroll on the iPhone’s display, use Force Touch input and haptic feedback.
Another sketch shows the iPad would be incorporated into the top panel, acting out as a display and providing CPU power to the accessory.
The accessory would come with a GPU, keyboard and ports
The patent application also mentions that the accessory would be made out of aluminum and feature a design that’s very similar to current MacBooks. Specific details about the accessory weren’t provided; Apple only mentions that power transfer through Lightning or Smart Connectors would be possible.
A host device could also be used to transfer data and send commands to the accessory, via WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wireless protocol. In addition, other memory modules would extend the device’s capabilities and possibly let an iPad or iPhone write and read app data. Moreover, a secondary OS or firmware could be installed.
The patent application was filed in September 2016, and it’s unknown if Apple intends to develop the product and make it available to a plenitude of users. But it does show that Apple is willing to provide additional functionality to its iPhones and iPads. Recently, Apple released a new 9.7-inch iPad, to replace the current iPad Air 2.