Apple patents case that could make iPads thinner. A very particular patent could change the future of the iPad. Apple has issued a patent for a new case that could lead to thinner iPad tablets.
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Called “Peripheral Housing for a Computing Device,” US Patent 11,698,663 and is dated July 11, 2023 and was assigned to Apple by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The case is based on a peripheral housing and is unique in that only one edge of an iPad would attach to it.
Depending on how the detached portion of the peripheral housing is positioned, it could be used to rest an iPad on a table to provide a better viewing angle for watching videos on the device. The peripheral bay can also be configured by the user to create a stand on the back of the device that allows an iPad to stand upright on a table without tilting. And the peripheral bay can also hold components like batteries and cameras in it along with the accessories. As a result, Apple may design future iPad units specifically to work with the case described in the patent.
If Apple goes ahead with the patent by producing such a case, it could create thinner tablets since the battery and some camera components could be housed inside the case. The patent notes that this is possible thanks to recent advances that enable the miniaturization of components such as processors, batteries, memory, integrated circuits and more.
While this sounds like a cool idea, we’re hard-pressed to imagine Apple overhauling the iPad design to make the tablet work with the case on, even if that would mean thinner devices.
