Apple Patents Hint at Possible MacBook With Two Displays and Wireless Charging Case for Apple Watch
Recently found patent filings from Apple are hinting at the possible release of a MacBook with dual display and a new Apple Watch casing that doubles as a wireless charging hub.
A MacBook With Two Screens?
Just this week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple patent 9,904,502, or "Dual display equipment with enhanced visibility and suppressed reflections," that was originally filed on Aug. 5, 2015 for "dual display equipment." The document included illustrations that suggest the invention could be meant as a future innovation for the MacBook line.
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It was explained that the first display could be placed where screens are normally found on a clamshell-form notebook (which has been the various MacBooks' design since). The second display "may be mounted in a second housing" that was suggested in the patent images as the typical space for the keyboard and touchpad.
Apple also presented another form factor that can be made with two displays with the use of a "magnetic hinge or other detachable hinge mechanism." Simply put, a device designed this way can double as a laptop while the first display can be detached and be used independently as a tablet.
Standalone Charging Hub for Apple Watch?
On the same day, the USPTO also granted 9,901,147 titled "Case for wearable electronic device" that Apple filed on June 7, 2017.
While the patent's title used the general term "wearable electronic," in its description, Apple specifically mentioned that the patent was to be used for a "wrist-worn electronic device" which is safe to say a reference to the Apple Watch.
Aside from being a handy travel case for wearable electronics, the case was designed with wireless charging features primarily in mind.
The patent images also showed that the Apple Watch bands need to be detached so it can be placed inside the case that would shaped like a thin, rectangular box.
As explained in the document, the case would not restrict the number of wearable device bands stored. "Some embodiments can be designed to store a wrist-worn electronic device and just a single band, while other embodiments can be designed to store a wrist-worn electronic device and more than two bands," the patent read.
