Paul Morris·

Apple Patents A Magic Keyboard Design That Features An Integrated Computer

Cupertino-based Apple Inc. has submitted a patent application to the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) envisaging an entirely new computer device built around the Magic Keyboard.

The application outlines a Magic Keyboard-esque device that is equipped internally with all necessary components to make it a plug-and-play computer.

Apple – just like most other large-scale technology companies – is constantly looking to design and engineer new technology and product concepts that may or may not become a reality. Part of that process involves having heavily funded research and development teams that are constantly submitting patent applications to protect any inventions or ideas.

This particular application with the USPTO imagines an Apple Magic Keyboard that is packed full of computer components to essentially make a portable computer that would run presumably macOS and be able to be plugged into any monitor. This type of invention would mean that people wouldn’t need to carry around a tower, mouse, keyboard, or any other peripherals needed to give them an on-demand computer experience.

Could this be what Apple sees as the future of the Mac mini? According to information published by Patently Apple, the patent application and inclusive designs have also taken into account the thermal requirements of the potential product and the need to think about how the heat will be dissipated to keep the “computer” running effectively and at peak performance:

The processing unit can generate heat while operating, which can negatively impact the performance of the processing unit. The base, however, can be manufactured at least partially of a material that distributes or spreads heat substantially through the mass of the base (i.e., thermally conductive), thereby more evenly spreading or distributing heat generated by the processing unit over a larger surface area of the base to more effectively regulate operating temperatures of the computing device.

As mentioned, Apple will likely submit slews of patent applications to the USPTO to cover all sorts of R&D work coming out of Cupertino. This particular application involved a Principal Architect of the Apple Mac computers and a senior manager from the Product Design department. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for anything else that could relate to this new device type.

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