Apple has a
couple of new interesting glimpses into possible new future tech published by
the USPTO today, including a patent application for an iPad Smart Cover with a
built-in battery and induction charging, and a mobile camera design that offers
true optical zoom, instead of the low-quality digital zoom we’re all used to in
current devices.
The induction charging patent application (via AppleInsider) makes the Smart Cover about a thousand times
more useful than it is in its current form. It adds an inductive charging coil
to the Smart Cover, which can transmit to a receiving end within the iPad
itself. The Smart Cover would also contain a battery within its segmented
padded divisions, which would make it possible to charge up the iPad when the
Smart Cover is covering the iPad’s screen and lined up properly via the
existing built-in magnets, or when folded behind the iPad to prop it up for
viewing.
The Smart
Cover itself would need to be plugged in to charge, or alternatively could be
fitted with solar panels to pick up extra juice from ambient light. But the big
news for the larger ecosystem would be that the iPad itself would have to be
outfitted with wireless charging equipment. So long as Apple stuck with an
accepted standard like Qi for that tech, it would open the door for plenty of
new opportunities from third-party accessory makers: you can basically taste
the fresh batch of new Kickstarter projects.
In a second application published today (via UnwiredView), Apple describes a new type of digital camera
for inclusion in mobile devices, which would enable optical zooming in a module
that’s still small enough to fit inside of an iPhone 5′s case. Basically, the
camer would bounce incoming light off of an internal mirror at a 90-degree
angle, meaning it could use the entire width of the phone to build a lens and
optical zoom element rather than just being limited by the thickness of the
device’s body from front to back.
The patent
also describes using a light splitter cube to break up incoming light into
separate red, blue and green frequencies, which makes it possible to use camera
sensors that are more color-accurate, and take in much more light in the same
environment vs. sensors that have light-splitting features build in. Once
again, this is made possible thanks to the added room for camera elements Apple
would be able to use by changing the orientation of the camera components to
lengthwise across the device via the mirror behind the lens on the back of the
camera.
Both of these
patents are significant, because they provide avenues Apple can explore to add
truly new and useful features to the iPad and iPhone. Induction charging has
been rumored as a possible feature of the iPhone 5, the iPhone 5S and the
iPhone 6, but so far it hasn’t come to pass. Apple generally waits on wireless
tech for it to prove its value with consumers before adding it to their
products, however. The camera design modification, however, is something it
could easily implement ahead of anyone else, since Apple tends to focus special
attention on camera improvements in the iPhone, especially when making
otherwise iterative improvements (as in the leap between the iPhone 4 and 4S,
for instance).
Dramatic
changes to product hardware would go a long way toward helping Apple address
criticism that it’s ‘falling behind’ rivals like Samsung in the innovation
department, and these in particular would be impressive by avoiding the specs
race in favor of more interesting changes with real relevance to users. Still,
Apple’s patents are never a good indicator of immediate product development
strategies, so don’t hold your breath for these features in Apple’s next
generation of devices. [Source]
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