“On January 17, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new product in the form of a removable device clip,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.
“The advanced clip may offer a tactile buttons or a transparent glass touchpad,” Purcher reports. “The clip could be used as a remote control. The removable clip could be applied to an iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook and yes, even a ‘convertible notebook.'”
Purcher reports, “If you like to bring your iPod or iPhone to a workout, the clip will be able to provide users with an added level of convenience with quick to control button. The clip will attach to devices via a magnetic mechanism.”
Much more, including Apple’s patent application illustrations and diagrams, in the full article here.
Or even an Apple TV.
Exactly. It’ll be this cool transparent light as a feather controller without having to hold an iPod or iPhone as your controller.
Sounds interesting, but it’s one of those kind of gadgets that will make more sense at a keynote. Count on this being slick if they choose to offer it in the future. Nice catch on the convertible notebook. Obviously at the engineering level it’s being talked about regardless of what Apple says publicly.
I agree, and brings to mind one of the most annoying lack of features on the iPod/iPhones. My biggest complaint when switching from the older iPod (with the wheel) to the iPod touch was that you couldn’t navigate your library without looking at screen if you iPod was in your pocket. For the iPod/iPhone it’s just another expensive add-on to worry about losing.
What your iPod Touch gets INSERTED into the track pad area of your laptop? its GIMMICKY… better to use BLUETOOTH as a connection rather than a physical insertion. After all this is the computer age, software and information, not the hardware age.
So you either didn’t bother to read the article, or you just can’t read. For the stupid among us, the drawing QUITE CLEARLY shows a small trackpad that can be removed from a portable device, ie iPod/iPhone, to allow operation while the device is concealed in a pocket.
Hello iPhone of the future. Docking with and charging from your ipad mini. A clip on device with tactile controls resembling a Bluetooth head set that you can answer calls from or initiate Siri from.