Apple Working Towards A Single Glass Slab iMac? Latest Patent Suggests So

Apple has been known to patent everything just in case it can make use of it in a future product, and that might just be what’s going on here. A new patent, spotted by Patently Apple, appears to show an iMac-like computer that’s all-glass.

The patent doesn’t specifically mention an iMac, but it’s impossible not to see the similarities here. Where things differ is the all-in-one design that incorporates the keyboard and trackpad, removing the need for separate accessories. It also has provision for a physical and virtual keyboard, too.

Based on the drawings and product description it appears that the device would use a single piece of glass that would curve at the bottom and provide both a screen and input peripherals.

An electronic device may include a glass housing member that includes an upper portion defining a display area, a lower portion defining an input area, and a transition portion joining the upper portion and the lower portion and defining a continuous, curved surface between the upper portion and the lower portion. The electronic device may include a display coupled to the glass housing member and configured to provide a visual output at the display area. The electronic device may include an input device coupled to the glass housing member and configured to detect inputs at the input area. The electronic device may include a support structure coupled to the glass housing member and configured to support the computing device.

There is even a drawing that shows a notebook computer docking with the device, potentially suggesting that this could also be a design for a standalone monitor, like the Pro Display XDR or, more likely, a revamped Apple Cinema Display.

As always it’s important to urge caution here, though. This patent doesn’t mean that Apple will announce anything that looks like this soon, if at all. We can certainly hope though – this looks like it would be pretty amazing if it did come to fruition.

(Via: Patently Apple)

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