All along, Apple's hardware products have received attention and expectations from the outside world. At the same time, in order to ensure the competitiveness of products, Apple is also continuing to conduct new technology research and development and patent applications.
Although whether these patent contents will eventually be truly applied depends on a variety of factors, it can also be understood that Apple's follow-up research and development ideas for corresponding products can be understood.
As far as Apple's best-selling product line is concerned, in addition to the familiar iPhone series, the iPad tablet and Mac computer series have also attracted much attention.
When many users purchase iPad products, they hope to use it to process transactions and solve some simple work and study problems. It is precisely for this reason that Apple also equipped iPad products with keyboards and other accessories. However, in the actual use process, some operations still need to be handled with the help of computer systems. This also makes many users hesitant when purchasing iPad products.
Apple seems to have noticed this situation, and its newly exposed patent information also shows new research and development ideas.
The patent, which was recently announced, involves a new articulated iPad keyboard accessory and an iPad that uses a macOS-like interface.
The patent shows an iPad with a dock that is similar to Microsoft's Surface Book and comes with a coupling mechanism.
As for the iPad keyboard accessory shown in it, it is equipped with an "electromechanical key" and is detachable. Combined with the coupling mechanism of the keyboard and iPad, it is possible to hover in different positions, such as tent mode, laptop mode, canvas mode, etc.
At the same time, the hinge in the iPad dock may also display brief information, including a camera, microphone or projector, and can also be used as an Apple Pencil stand.
However, the most interesting thing about this patent is not the accessory upgrade, but the iPad shown in the patent schematic using macOS instead of iPadOS.
With the launch of Apple's self-developed chips, the Mac series products are being equipped on a large scale. At the same time, Apple has also successively applied M series chips for the iPad series of products. The newly released new iPad Air and the previous iPad Pro are equipped with the same M1 chip as the Mac.
When it released its self-developed M1 chip, Apple said that users can use iPhone and iPad apps directly on macOS Big Sur. Subsequently, as more iPad products are equipped with M1 chips, the connection between iPad and Mac computers has become closer.
Based on this, many users are also looking forward to the subsequent iPad products to bring system-level access with the Mac series.
In terms of the differences between products, if Apple really brings macOS to iPad products, then in practical applications, iPad products can provide more operation support close to laptops. In this way, combined with the thin and portable characteristics of iPad products, many users should choose iPad as the main tool for going out to handle work.
Previously, many users said that they would like to see an iPad that supports macOS or an iPad that can switch between macOS and iPadOS according to the connected accessories.
In fact, this kind of product that can switch between computer systems and tablet systems is not unfamiliar to everyone, and many computer manufacturers have launched corresponding products before.
Whether Apple will bring such iPad products in the future is still uncertain, especially in the case of the existing iPad and Mac series product lines with clear division of labor and good sales.