
iPhone MacBook Hybrid – Apple Patent Application (2017) - tosh
https://pdfaiw.uspto.gov/.aiw?PageNum=0&docid=20170083048&IDKey=AC591D934197
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dehrmann
Just a reminder of how some patents are BS. No serious R&D went into this. And
I don't mean this as the standard anti-patent response. Look over the
application, look at the diagrams, read the text. It's a joke.

~~~
jonplackett
I wonder if companies ever put in patents just to throw competitors off the
scent or give them dumb ideas to follow, knowing they’re not viable. Like how
the USA leaked Space Shuttle plans to the USSR that wouldn’t fly.

~~~
realharo
More likely it's a blanket policy of "patent everything even remotely
patentable, just in case".

~~~
rescripting
Some companies (not sure about Apple) offer patent incentives to employees.
Our CTO once bragged about having 150 patents. An engineer in my org decided
to show him up and had 150 filed within 2 years. I think the incentives
probably doubled his base salary and I guarantee none of the patents are
useful or will be used.

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RKearney
Previous non-discussions:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13953805](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13953805)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13939894](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13939894)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13939020](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13939020)

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alkonaut
This looks great. I already have a $1000 computer in my pocket all I need is a
screen and a keyboard. The problem? Apple will charge $1000 for it so I could
just as well get a decent laptop instead of one that is just a hole in a
keyboard. So, this was me complaining about prices for product that's just a
patent sketch.

~~~
kilo_bravo_3
I feed off people complaining about Apple's prices.

I actually crave it.

It's like blood to a vampire or candy and soda to a fat kid.

Thank you.

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pigubrco
Motorola built something similar: [https://www.digitaltrends.com/buying-
guides/a-complete-guide...](https://www.digitaltrends.com/buying-
guides/a-complete-guide-to-the-motorola-atrix-the-only-phone-laptop/)

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wodenokoto
The perspective of the iPhone and cavity is completely off and especially
unsightly in the picture with the phone attached.

It is also not great for the touchpad either.

I thought modern patent drawings would be done in some sort of CAD program. So
why the lines that mimics a fineliner and why the off perspective? (and why
the shoddy work in the first place?)

~~~
yakz
You don’t need to put your trade secrets into the patent drawings.

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sytse
Really cool. The iPhone replaces the touchpad since it already has a great
touchscreen. The MacBook can be much more affordable because it doesn't need
CPU/GPU/memory/wifi/bluetooth anymore (assuming if it uses a wired connection
to communicate with the MacBook).

There is also an iPad / MacBook hybrid listed on later pages. Apple didn't go
this route but the new iPad keyboard
[https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MXQU2LL/A/magic-
keyboard-...](https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MXQU2LL/A/magic-keyboard-for-
ipad-pro-129%E2%80%91inch-4th-generation-us-english) is heavier and more
complex than ever before.

~~~
ysleepy
This is exactly how other companies did it.

The Razer project linda has the phone as touchpad.

[https://www.razer.com/projectlinda](https://www.razer.com/projectlinda)

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distantsounds
Razer actually did this with Android:
[https://www.razer.com/projectlinda](https://www.razer.com/projectlinda)

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xd_dino
I don't see this as THE next major phase of macOS development. Reason being
Samsung Dex already does this with HDMI cable. Current design mentioned in the
application pairs phone in a socket. This gives a problem when you want to
upgrade either the phone or laptop. However, this type of pairing a powerful
phone with a dumb display we are going to see more often. not in the way apple
depicted here though.

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tosh
with recent developments like iPadOS as well as mouse/trackpad support
something like this seems more viable than ever before (in a sense iPad +
Magic Keyboard is already a thing)

I just realized the iPhones do have keyboard support but no support for the
iPadOS pointers yet afaiu (there is some support via accessibility settings
though)

Also there are some proof of concept hybrids out there like
[https://nexdock.com/](https://nexdock.com/) and
[https://www.zdnet.com/product/hp-elite-x3-lap-
dock/](https://www.zdnet.com/product/hp-elite-x3-lap-dock/)

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dceddia
Cool, I guess?

My gut reaction though is that this would be one step closer to a world where
we're running iOS instead of macOS and we don't really have computers anymore.

No more terminal (unless you pay $4/month for the terminal app! that's a pro
feature), no more editors (but you can use this great cloud-based editor for
the price of your personal data), no more running your own apps on your own
device without paying the Apple Developer fee every year.

I don't know. Maybe that's far-fetched. But it seems increasingly possible,
and it'd be a sad day if it ever happens.

~~~
nicoburns
> My gut reaction though is that this would be one step closer to a world
> where we're running iOS instead of macOS and we don't really have computers
> anymore.

Sadly you're probably right. On the other hand a modern iPhone is more than
fast enough to run macOs, so you never know. An Apple version of the Samsung
Dex would be pretty sweet
[https://www.samsung.com/us/explore/dex/](https://www.samsung.com/us/explore/dex/)

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fastball
Also you could have it so that if you connect an external mouse, the
iPhone/trackpad behaves as a touch bar with context aware items.

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arcticbull
This is literally just a sleeker/modernized version of the PowerBook Duo /
Dock [1]. What's old is new again.

They were actually really cool, the motorized mechanism that accepted the Duo
into the Dock just felt really smooth / sturdy / elegant.

[1]
[https://everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_duo/specs/mac_p...](https://everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_duo/specs/mac_powerbook_duodock.html)

~~~
freeqaz
Would you mind elaborating on this a bit? I’m curious and that link doesn’t
provide a ton of deeper detail. Does this extend the RAM of the laptop you
dock in it? Or is it just peripherals?

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otterley
This is not a patent; it is an application for one. The USPTO hasn't granted
it yet, and it may decide not to at all.

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jbverschoor
Yes please. Or simply proper apps and multitasking making use of the HDMI out
and a mouse/key

~~~
dvtrn
I feel like we are so close to this with SideCar, it’s not at all perfect but
a couple of people on my team also have iPads and we’ve been getting away with
some great brainstorming sessions drawing on our pads and throwing the
sketches into slack once the meeting is over.

~~~
jbverschoor
I tried one of the terminal emus, the one with alpine. Ish I think. But it
didn’t do what I wanted.. and in reality, I only need a terminal and some
compilers/vms. It will come.. But hopefully without too much cloud
requirements

~~~
dvtrn
Agreed fully on the last notion there. I’ve come across so many great pieces
of software that I think “oh this would fit my workflow just nicely!” but then
the other shoe drops when I see it requires a signup to their service and
their cloud to use a native desktop application that talks to a non-
proprietary TCP based protocol.

E.g. some of the most interesting replacement MacOS email clients requires
signing up to their “service” so I can use an IMAP client to talk to my work’s
Exchange through a mail client. No. Absolutely not.

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runawaybottle
Wasn’t the Ubuntu phone supposed to be a dockable computer?

