The current lineup of iPads feature powerful chips, excellent battery life, and gorgeous displays — but it looks like they could get even better.
A new patent from Apple shows off a tablet with “a magnetic attachment mechanism positioned along the interior surface opposite the stylus attachment region.” This means either side of future iPads could have magnetic surfaces — one to hold the Apple Pencil 2 and charge it wirelessly like just now, and one to attach to other accessories.
One of the uses detailed in the patent is a keyboard that could essentially click into place. Not even the best iPad Air 5 keyboard cases are quite as sophisticated as that. The smart connector seen in Apple’s Smart Keyboard is similar but only one-sided and it doesn’t clip in the way seen in the patent. There aren’t clear examples of controllers being used in the patent, though accessories are mentioned — perhaps we could see a future Magic Keyboard update with a stronger magnetic clip.
Untapped potential
This is an invention that could make future tablets the best iPad for gaming, thanks to the potential of clipping controllers onto the side. It could take inspiration from the Nintendo Switch, Lenovo Legion Go, or OneXPlayer 2 Pro and allow you to disconnect and connect controllers on the sides of the device when needed. When paired with the best Apple Arcade games, this could make the iPad even better than the best MacBooks for how easy it is to game on the go.
It is important to note, that this is just a patent — an idea for a future feature that Apple might use later on down the line.
Given the Apple Vision Pro’s trademark woes in China, Apple may be more cautious of losing out on its ideas in the future. As is the case with all patents, we’ll have to wait for the future to find out more.
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