Apple Wants To Design A New Dock For iPhone And iPad To Extend Their Functionalities

A new patent shows that Apple is testing with the idea of a dock for iPad and iPhone, which will look like a MacBook.

The patent outlines some versions Apple has thought of. To use the dock, users will put the iPad or iPhone to it. The device will then charge your handset and allow you to work with it in the way you use MacBook.

The version for the iPhone will require the phone to be placed at the palm rest area, turning the handset into a trackpad. The screen of the phone is mirrored by the screen of the dock and there is a keyboard for users to control everything.

Another version for the iPad will make use of the larger display of the tablet as the screen.

Apple said in the patent that the dock would have limited or no hardware to process information. This means it will rely on the power of the iPhone or iPad. It is possible that Apple will add speakers, GPU, a display, and memory to the dock to improve user experience.

Apple also explained that the dock could only extend the functionalities of other handsets but on its own, it cannot work as a standalone device.

There was a similar idea surfaced some years ago. It was introduced by Razer and the company called it Project Linda. The idea puts the phone into a laptop’s body, turning the handset into something like a Touch Bar. With this design, most of the processing power will come from the laptop.

A patent is not a promise of a new device so do not put your hope up just yet. But if the design sees the light of day, it will probably be Apple’s strangest device.