Apple Reimagines the iPhone as a MacBook Touchpad

Megalith

Megalith

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The fruit company’s latest idea is to turn an iPhone or iPad into a touchscreen MacBook. In one example, the former would be docked into a special laptop and act as the processor, graphics card, memory, and storage for the entire device. The handset would also function as the trackpad. I’ll just steal from the comments and suggest that Apple build a laptop with a touchscreen.

As published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday, Apple's application for an "Electronic accessory device" describes the company's take on an oft-attempted, but never fully realized idea. Specifically, the IP covers a "thin" accessory, a kind of "headless" device that contains traditional laptop hardware like a large display, physical keyboard, GPU, ports and more, but is incapable of functioning without a host. In this case, an iPhone or iPad would slot into the laptop-esque piece of kit to fill the role of CPU.
 
I think that would actually be pretty neat for some folks, especially on the go. All your data/files could be on your phone, the dock could charge the phone. A large "workspace" to work with files from the phone. A lot like the Atrix. Could provide a much more seamless user experience. For example say you are traveling and need to work on a document, you could pull out the laptop accessory and snap it in and have a full keyboard.
 
So it's safe to assume they've cracked the wireless charging and perhaps even NFC for their new iPhone? I could definitely see this product being a hit if the newer iPhones stop changing sizes and widths as most consumers would be worried about their phones fitting.

But I guess this isn't really considered an 'everyman's device. More of a toy that won't see the light of day.
 
Yes, fucking PLEASE DO THIS APPLE. My god it would be a godsend. I could ditch the damn ipad and use a thin lightweight device for EVERYTHING.

This would kill off chromebooks.
 
I have been predicting this for years...you're phone will be your computer, you just need a dock for it at your desk. Using it as a touchpad is a great idea too.
 
Megalith said:
The fruit company’s latest idea is to turn an iPhone or iPad into a touchscreen MacBook. In one example, the former would be docked into a special laptop and act as the processor, graphics card, memory, and storage for the entire device. The handset would also function as the trackpad. I’ll just steal from the comments and suggest that Apple build a laptop with a touchscreen.

As published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday, Apple's application for an "Electronic accessory device" describes the company's take on an oft-attempted, but never fully realized idea. Specifically, the IP covers a "thin" accessory, a kind of "headless" device that contains traditional laptop hardware like a large display, physical keyboard, GPU, ports and more, but is incapable of functioning without a host. In this case, an iPhone or iPad would slot into the laptop-esque piece of kit to fill the role of CPU.
Click to expand...
This would fit apple's desire to have everything center around the phone..which they are determined to make totally irreparable anyway.
 
Such innovation:

2011: Motorola Atrix
17324.jpg


Feb 2016: HP Elite X3
HP_Elite_x3_Desk_Promo.jpg



March 2017: Apple copies them, files for patents and claims they were first and are so innovative.

Yep, sounds like Apple.
 
Nice idea but would not replace my work laptop if that is what they are looking to do (Ipad Pro anyone?) as it would probably still have a mobile OS.
 
Sure Apple copied others (debatable) but they tend to make the devices that they "copied" more user friendly.

Although the pictures above does not seem like the same thing. It looks like Apple is using the iphone as a trackpad and using it as a dock as well. The options above look like they are just docked and using its OS but you don't do anything with the phone.

So yes, Apple in this case is innovating and I like the idea since I use an ipad and macbook and iphone. And I also own the pc in my sig.
 
The smarter move overall? Just embedding a damned iPhone in the trackpad, period.

One thing a lot of professionals still look for in a laptop is WWAN connectivity without having to resort to using stupid dumbass dongles or tethering bullshit.

But this idea of course is just too good for Apple to comprehend so, there goes that one. ;)
 
Uhh so they're copying what Windows 10 Mobile did. *claps claps*

Courage!
 
It's not the worst idea in the world, but it's been tried several times to "meh" reception.

Archaea said:
Remove my iPhone protective case evertime I plug it in? No thanks.
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That is a good point. That would be a PITA. Unless you're one of the people courageous enough to use a naked phone without a case. I'm thinking of you, brother-in-law....
 
I don't really see the point of it. Most of the data I use is in the cloud (email, photos, storage, etc). Apple already has really nice support for sharing between macOS and iOS. Without plugging anything in, I can sync my data or share it between devices. This is a great user experience and wish Windows had something as nice! (I'm OS agnostic - I use Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, macOS - my job requires me to use lots of different platforms, so not a fan boy before I get jump tackled :) ).

If the laptop is going to let you use a phone as a trackpad, they'd have to make the laptop thicker. I'm typing this on a Macbook at work - it's thin enough to slice bread with! I can't see Apple making this change.
 
was going to say, that this reminds me of bad kickstarter ideas, then i saw the seed video.
useless.
 
Argh! Not Apple!
I've been writing and writing and pleading and pleading to Microsoft and the big OEMs (except Apple) to do this since 2012 and the one who patents it is Apple!

The way to best use this is not like the Atrix. That one got it physically backwards. It's not like the seed, that's conceptually backwards.
The use of this that is actually practical is not to use the phone's power, or to share data, or to share the "mobile experience" with the "desktop experience." The good use of this is to make the Razer Deathstalker keyboard ubiquitous. As soon as I saw that keyboard, back in 2012, I knew it was going to fail because it would be too expensive for general use. But if keyboards (and laptops) had a standard port where you snap in your phone, you'd get Deathstalker capabilities for just a few dollars of the port. And if that keyboard became ubiquitous, then all games could offload their huds and onscreen controls to the phone and leave only the gameworld in the monitor.
 
So, the "laptop" will have to be big enough to flush mount a phone in, not a killer but thick compared to recent products, but I still rock a dell so no worries there. But then what about all the apps and how they are built for a touchscreen interface? It wouldn't translate well I think. Sure for like word, but stuff like facebook and whatnot, not as easy as just using the phone as it should be. Couple in then that you'll have to remove your phone 100% from the case, so that sucks. Apple has been changing the shape of every device they release so you'd have to buy a new one of these every single time you upgrade your phone, and if there is one thing apple cultists love it's upgrading their phone ever single year. Then we're looking at the fact that for the same generation there are multiple for factors, so even if this came out tomorrow it wouldn't work with but one phone. You could design it to be bigger and use swap-able trays maybe for each phone, but then you're talking about getting a new tray every year, better then getting a new laptop tho I guess. O, and your phone is now surrounded on all but one side by electronics, and covered on the last side by your hands. Judging by the fact you have to hold certain phones a certain way I'm sure there was a better approach to this. Maybe a slide in dock on the top corner of the screen?

Just way too much crap to put up with. Why not just get a better keyboard attachment for an ipad and solve all of your problems? Trying to reinvent the wheel as a square doesn't work even if you put a shiny apple on it
 
Bigdady92 said:
Yes, fucking PLEASE DO THIS APPLE. My god it would be a godsend. I could ditch the damn ipad and use a thin lightweight device for EVERYTHING.

This would kill off chromebooks.
Click to expand...
No it won't chrome books are like $300 MacBook is 8k.
 
jardows said:
Hmm...Sounds an awful lot like Microsoft's Continuum.
Click to expand...

Except not tied to a dead OS with no apps that consumers and businesses rejected, by a company wholly unable to execute in mobile. Other than that totally the same.
 
Would be cool if the keyboard WAS the device. Everything but a display could be built-in to the keyboard, just have an HDMI out.

Then they could sell adaptor trays or something like the early 30pin adaptors for clock radios. Then different phones could plug in over time. This will require an updated Lightning port obviously. The physical port can probably support USB3 speeds, so backwards compatibility should be possible for current iPhone accessories.

I'm not sure why you would BITCH about more selection. I never heard of that Atrix and Motorola is all but a memory, but I wouldn't complain about them making it.

Companies file patents all the time. IBM files something like 3000 patents a year....you think they are coming up with 3K totally new products every year? The only reason companies focus on Apple patents is because it's easy click bait for the emotional type.
 
Kaitian said:
Uhh so they're copying what Windows 10 Mobile didn't. *claps claps*
Click to expand...

Fixed that for you. MS never even tried based on how half-baked and poorly designed their attempt was, and their unwillingness or just inability to build compelling apps to get people interested. The dirty little secret was that Continuum could only run a single fullscreen metro app at a time - that was the extent of it. Forget x86 programs. Useless.

The marriage of phone and PC will happen, it just won't be on Windows. It's only a question of whether it'll be Apple or Google that properly executes first.
 
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Megalith said:
The fruit company’s latest idea is to turn an iPhone or iPad into a touchscreen MacBook. In one example, the former would be docked into a special laptop and act as the processor, graphics card, memory, and storage for the entire device. The handset would also function as the trackpad. I’ll just steal from the comments and suggest that Apple build a laptop with a touchscreen.

As published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday, Apple's application for an "Electronic accessory device" describes the company's take on an oft-attempted, but never fully realized idea. Specifically, the IP covers a "thin" accessory, a kind of "headless" device that contains traditional laptop hardware like a large display, physical keyboard, GPU, ports and more, but is incapable of functioning without a host. In this case, an iPhone or iPad would slot into the laptop-esque piece of kit to fill the role of CPU.
Click to expand...

Didn't nokia or somebody do this 10 years ago... and 10 years ago i basically said "this is the future, every company needs to do this"


*edit, Motorola Atrix. I've been waiting on apple to do this since the friggin atrix... about effin time
 
Apple's trackpads are one of the few products of theirs I liked. Your fingers glided across them with very little friction, they supported multi-touch and scrolling, and the entire pad clicked and softly gave way instead of slamming your fingers onto a hard piece of glass.

A phone screen has none of these features. As smooth as glass may be, it doesn't feel the same to me.
 
TorryHolt81 said:
Sure Apple copied others (debatable) but they tend to make the devices that they "copied" more user friendly
Click to expand...

Apple takes others ideas and refines them. Sometimes for the better. It's their attitude that kills it (revolutionary, magical, innovative) and not that they made someone else's idea better. They have done some amazing things after copying others, no doubt. They just need to stop with the "We did something revolutionary and new!". Apple does make great stuff, though!

DPI said:
Except not tied to a dead OS with no apps that consumers and businesses rejected, by a company wholly unable to execute in mobile. Other than that totally the same.
Click to expand...

You really don't like Microsoft, do you? ;)
 
Massamune said:
Such innovation:

March 2017: Apple copies them, files for patents and claims they were first and are so innovative.

Yep, sounds like Apple.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and GM copied four wheels and a steering wheel from Ford.
See how irrelevant that was also?

I didn't see anything in your images that looks like anything like the Apple patent.
The iPhone/iPad goes into the laptop body itself, not docked on the outside.
 
Ur_Mom said:
Apple takes others ideas and refines them. Sometimes for the better. It's their attitude that kills it (revolutionary, magical, innovative) and not that they made someone else's idea better. They have done some amazing things after copying others, no doubt. They just need to stop with the "We did something revolutionary and new!". Apple does make great stuff, though!
Click to expand...

It's just marketing to sell units. Nothing personal against the industry itself.
Apple encapsulates their products a bubble, and in no way should it affect how users outside the Apple bubble perceive their devices.
 
DPI said:
Fixed that for you. MS never even tried based on how half-baked and poorly designed their attempt was, and their unwillingness or just inability to build compelling apps to get people interested. The dirty little secret was that Continuum could only run a single fullscreen metro app at a time - that was the extent of it. Forget x86 programs. Useless.

The marriage of phone and PC will happen, it just won't be on Windows. It's only a question of whether it'll be Apple or Google that properly executes first.
Click to expand...
How is that different from the iOS ecosystem where it runs a single app at a time? The iOS ecosystem isn't x86 either since it's based on ARM.
 
NAiLs said:
Oh man, this has NEVER been done before. WHOA!!! Sweet idea, Apple!! Too bad this particular company doesn't seem to exist anymore.


Click to expand...


It's was done? Really?
Point me in the direction where I can purchase one.

Also, we'll never know why the don't exist anymore. Apple will claim the patent because one was never filed or the idea could have been purchased once Apple saw it. We'll never know. It's popular to say they stole the idea, but Apple buys up small companies all the time and put them under NDA, so we'll never know the truth.
 
Kaitian said:
How is that different from the iOS ecosystem where it runs a single app at a time? The iOS ecosystem isn't x86 either since it's based on ARM.
Click to expand...

Because Microsoft made the mistake of branding the mobile products "Windows", operating under the belief that Windows still carried a cache' and name recognition, and would provide an easy shortcut to mobile relevance. But that branding created an expectation that Windows programs (x86) would work on those devices. This is also why WindowsRT failed spectacularly. iOS and Android create no such expectation.

In the end, all that the "Windows Mobile" branding really did was served as a warning label. Consumers don't associate "Windows" with new or cutting edge, but as utilitarian or something they have to use at work. The ugly, fischer-price tiled Metro interface beginning with Windows 8 really did it no favors either.
 
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