Wired
Apple patented a hinged keyboard for the iPad on May 3, 2022, at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent depicts a screen that looks like macOS is running.
Multiple hinged keyboard forms for the iPad
The patent acquired this time by Apple consists of an iPad (104), a keyboard (108), a base plate with a hinge (112) (118), and an input display (106), as shown in Chart 1A below. It is about the product that was made.
A similar patent was reported in February 2022 for a dual-screen MacBook.
A user interface similar to macOS is illustrated in the patent
The title of this patent is “Hinge keyboard accessories with multiple forms for tablet terminals”, and you can see that the target is not a MacBook but a tablet (iPad).
Notably in this patent, Patently Apple points out that the window layouts depicted in Figures 4A and 2A below are very similar to the macOS user interface.
This may mean that Apple is working on a new form factor that blends the iPad and MacBook, the media said.
However, Apple has been negative for 2-in-1 devices running macOS, so it seems unlikely that this patent will be put to practical use only for research and development.
Source: USPTO via Patently Apple
Photo: Apfelwelt / YouTube
(FT729)
Source: iPhone Mania