“In this particular report we cover an Apple patent that we originally covered back in August 2012 titled ‘Apple Invents Mind Boggling Next Generation Smart Cover with Multi-Touch Flexible Display, Solar Panels & Built-in Keyboard,'” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple. “At the time it was one of those inventions that most Apple fans thought was just too far-fetched to ever come true because Apple didn’t even have a smartpen and most thought would never have one. Well, four years later and we have the iPad Pro with Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, both of which are part of today’s granted patent.”
“Apple’s granted patent was richly detailed,” Purcher reports, “and covered a smart iPad cover with a flexible display; solar panels for energy harvesting; inductive charging; smart keyboard; and even forecasted Apple’s Smart Connector.”
Purcher reports, “Today’s granted patent 9,335,793 was originally filed in August 2011 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Even just moving the soft keyboard to the second screen would be a boon for productivity. Getting that keyboard out of the way is crucial in certain applications, as any iPad user with with an Apple Smart Keyboard or other Bluetooth keyboard will concur. All of the other possibilities for that second screen are gravy!
Patent filed 2011 and reported 2012, five years later and nothing. What’s the hold up?
Troll
Doofus troll.
Joe, im sure they have a working model in Apple labs. Will they ever ship it…we’ll see. Again a great idea though the cost would be 1.5 ipads worth of parts. I probably would buy one if it shipped.
Wrong headed. The question a lead designer should ask, what’s the purpose? Is there any reasoning that compels the use of this design.
There is a better solution then this and a better design thought. If the lead designer says great let’s roll, the CEO needs to be able to look at this and say no, not in this design. He needs to recognize to the team this is just two iPads, essentially, and then he should reject this design.
Like, he should have told them,”no the pencil must not plug in like this”. “It looks awkward”. Not everything is cool, or looks good just because teams work hard on it.