“Apple is investigating the use of bayonet lens mounts — one of the most common lens attachment mechanisms used in modern photography — in its iOS device lineup, suggesting the company is mulling interchangeable lens accessories for its iOS device lineup,” Mikey Campbell reports for AppleInsider. “An Apple patent issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday describes a mechanism by which an iOS device, such as an iPhone or iPod, may be fitted with a bayonet mount onto which various lens types can be fastened.”
“As noted in Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 8,687,299 for “Bayonet attachment mechanisms,” the bayonet mount is both utile and aesthetically pleasing, two attributes paramount in any Apple product design,” Campbell reports. “The mount correctly aligns and securely attaches lenses to a device body while keeping a relatively inconspicuous profile when not in use.”
Read more in the full article here.
“A second attachment mechanism configured to couple to the first attachment mechanism may include stationary bayonets extending from a base,”Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.
“The aperture defined by the bayonets may be configured to receive the second attachment mechanism axially therethrough,” Purcher reports. “Once the first and second attachment mechanisms are joined in this manner, they may be rotated relative to one another. The rotation may cause the bayonets of the second attachment mechanism to press against the bayonets of the first attachment mechanism.”
Much more, and see Apple’s patent application illustrations, in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
When I read the heading I thought this was an April Fool’s joke.
Apple has become a tool for the military.
Reliable, secure, intellegent products would tend to drift that way.
Sorry, my attempt at sarcasm employing a bayonet with a iPhone to come up with a military connection. I’ll try harder next April first.
Might have worked better if it weren’t that consumer/enthusiast cameras haven’t used bayonet lens mounts for the past 50-80 years.
And Happy Birthday to Apple today. 38 years!
Bayonets and interchangeable lenses will cement the inroads iPhone has already made in the point and shoot camera market and bedrock the iPhone into a serious camera staple and replacement.
this is supposed to be an advance ? something to be excited about ? an innovation ? extra crap we can attach to our sleek light weight iphone?
somebody needs to get a grip. i phone cameras are pretty darn good as is, they are a convenience (maybe a necessary convenience in the spirit of competition) but they were not intended to be all that sophisticated. and they work plenty good for what they are. just look at those websites by professional photographers who have used the standard iphone camera to get some seriously amazing images – all it takes is practice.
most people just use them for snapshots anyhow. not works of art
but still, if you want a digital camera with extra capabilities, just buy one, they are light weight and you will get better results from that.
given a choice between bayonet mounted lenses and increased battery life, i vote for battery life. hands down
The flourishing aftermarket for iPhone camera accessories is pretty ample proof that your opinion is not shared by all.
You really don’t know much about iphonography, do you.
It’s been pretty obvious for some time that Apple has been treating photography seriously on it’s IOS devices. One of the biggest limitations so far has been the fixed focal length lens. This development could be very attractive for those who want to have a wider range of lens types. Presumably there will be opportunities for third parties to make lenses too, so we will be able to get zoom lenses, telephoto lenses and wide aperture lenses if we wish. There would also be opportunities for mounting iPhones on microscopes or telescopes.
I hope that they will also allow manual adjustments to photographs so that we can tweak the settings of focus, aperture, sensitivity, exposure and colour balance in order to over-ride the automatic settings. While the automatic settings are generally pretty good, there are times when a photographer needs special setting for unusual circumstances.
The images in the patent look very similar to the leaked photos of the rumored iPhone 6. http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/03/31/questionable-iphone-6-prototype-shows-protruding-camera-lacks-apples-true-tone-flash
It seems the next iPhone will have a protrusion.
You missed the word ‘questionable’.