6 ms·

Apple Patent Envisions a Mac Inside a Keyboard

13 points by FpUser 5y ago

thr0wawayf00 5y ago
This makes sense given that Apple doesn’t want to cannibalize MacBook sales by bringing MacOS to the iPad directly.
- FpUser 5y ago
  What does not make sense is the ability to even try to patent something akin to blue sky.
  - thr0wawayf00 5y ago
    I mean, it's not like they're short on cash or anything. Patents like these cost nothing to them, so it makes sense that they would try to protect an unfinished project or wild idea.
    - FpUser 5y ago
      This thing is obvious and should be thrown out immediately by first reviewer in the USPO
bwb 5y ago
I would love this, especially id airbnbs started stocking nice monitors :)
FpUser 5y ago
More round corners I guess
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
riskycodes 5y ago
And we've come full-circle back to the Atari ST family of computers!
- slater 5y ago
  You misspelled C-64 :P https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30491135 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30491135
ztarven 5y ago
I imagine the main selling point for this is portability, but a laptop is already about the size of a keyboard?
- theandrewbailey 5y ago
  That was my first thought: this is a screenless laptop (more or less). And the only reason laptops aren't smaller is because of a touchpad, battery, and screen.
vardump 5y ago
Looks kinda like Raspberry Pi 400 [0]. [0]: https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-400/ https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-400/
theandrewbailey 5y ago
> The patent filing is unambiguously titled, "Computer in an input device." Aren't the microcontrollers in every keyboard considered computers in and of themselves? Is it possible to run a meaningful OS on a keyboard microcontroller?
- wildzzz 5y ago
  Got to read the list of claims in the patent. It's got a single USB Type C port, a built in touchpad, some sort of additional capacitive touch controls, an internal fan with two vents, and an internal power supply. I think that means it has a battery inside as well since you can't plug Type C directly into the wall without an external power supply. Way more than just a regular keyboard running some sort of software on the microcontroller. I guess this seems like an interesting idea. It's like a headless laptop which could be good if you only ever want to use this at a desk with a Type C monitor and maybe a docking station. Maybe good for hybrid work situations where you've got a home desk to work at but also can hop on a hot desk at the office. The downside is that you can't work at the coffeeshop or anywhere else but at a desk with a monitor. Maybe there could be a way to output video to an ipad when not at your desk but now you've got to carry that around. It would be cheaper than a normal laptop since no screen but at what cost? The thicker case and active cooling could allow for discrete GPUs alongside a max spec M1.
nottorp 5y ago
How did this patent get awarded? ZX Spectrum... C64... Atari ST... and countless other 8 bit computers were exactly this. How does anyone at apple even dare to patent this?
- apocalyptic0n3 5y ago
  It wasn't awarded. It was just filed by Apple (in August). It's likely in the review process now. It might be awarded, but patent applications get rejected every single day so this one might as well.
- thfuran 5y ago
  Because there are, as far as I know, no actual penalties for filing complete horseshit patents, and sometimes they even get granted.
- wildzzz 5y ago
  Read the claims. Did any of those have internal power supplies (battery?), a touchpad, active cooling, and a single Type C port?
  - retrac 5y ago
    None of that is innovative in a way not obvious to any engineer in the field. It's basically a laptop without a screen. Being the first to combine a specific list of features is not necessarily patentable by itself. The combination would have to, paraphrasing various patent laws, surprise an expert in the relevant art with its originality or non-obviousness.
    - chillacy 5y ago
      I'm not a lawyer, only someone who has a few utility patents. My opinion so far is that my patents are not particularly innovative, but I assume there's a numbers game to it for corp attorneys which encourages them to file these. Also, afaik the more specific the patent (must have battery, screen, and connect A and B with wires), the less useful it is. So if the independent claims at the end of the patent come with a lot of caveats, they are less and less easy to find targets for enforcement.
raninepaths 5y ago
What if keyboard stops working? Whole case of computer needs to be changed?
- thfuran 5y ago
  Well, it's out of warranty and that repair would cost so much that you're really better off getting a new keyputer.
- nathanasmith 5y ago
  Assuming USB ports, you cheekily plug in another keyboard!
  - theandrewbailey 5y ago
    Or if it has Bluetooth (dunno why it wouldn't), use a bluetooth keyboard.
colejohnson66 5y ago
Blogspam: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/25/apple-explores-mac-inside-keyboard-device/ https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/25/apple-explores-mac-insi... They don't even hide it: > The lengthy patent filing, which was unearthed by Macrumors, ...

13 points by FpUser 5y ago

thr0wawayf00 5y ago

This makes sense given that Apple doesn’t want to cannibalize MacBook sales by bringing MacOS to the iPad directly.

FpUser 5y ago
What does not make sense is the ability to even try to patent something akin to blue sky.
- thr0wawayf00 5y ago
  I mean, it's not like they're short on cash or anything. Patents like these cost nothing to them, so it makes sense that they would try to protect an unfinished project or wild idea.
  - FpUser 5y ago
    This thing is obvious and should be thrown out immediately by first reviewer in the USPO

bwb 5y ago

I would love this, especially id airbnbs started stocking nice monitors :)

FpUser 5y ago

More round corners I guess

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

riskycodes 5y ago

And we've come full-circle back to the Atari ST family of computers!

slater 5y ago
You misspelled C-64 :P https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30491135 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30491135

ztarven 5y ago

I imagine the main selling point for this is portability, but a laptop is already about the size of a keyboard?

theandrewbailey 5y ago
That was my first thought: this is a screenless laptop (more or less). And the only reason laptops aren't smaller is because of a touchpad, battery, and screen.

vardump 5y ago

Looks kinda like Raspberry Pi 400 [0]. [0]: https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-400/ https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-400/

theandrewbailey 5y ago

> The patent filing is unambiguously titled, "Computer in an input device." Aren't the microcontrollers in every keyboard considered computers in and of themselves? Is it possible to run a meaningful OS on a keyboard microcontroller?

wildzzz 5y ago
Got to read the list of claims in the patent. It's got a single USB Type C port, a built in touchpad, some sort of additional capacitive touch controls, an internal fan with two vents, and an internal power supply. I think that means it has a battery inside as well since you can't plug Type C directly into the wall without an external power supply. Way more than just a regular keyboard running some sort of software on the microcontroller. I guess this seems like an interesting idea. It's like a headless laptop which could be good if you only ever want to use this at a desk with a Type C monitor and maybe a docking station. Maybe good for hybrid work situations where you've got a home desk to work at but also can hop on a hot desk at the office. The downside is that you can't work at the coffeeshop or anywhere else but at a desk with a monitor. Maybe there could be a way to output video to an ipad when not at your desk but now you've got to carry that around. It would be cheaper than a normal laptop since no screen but at what cost? The thicker case and active cooling could allow for discrete GPUs alongside a max spec M1.

nottorp 5y ago

How did this patent get awarded? ZX Spectrum... C64... Atari ST... and countless other 8 bit computers were exactly this. How does anyone at apple even dare to patent this?

apocalyptic0n3 5y ago
It wasn't awarded. It was just filed by Apple (in August). It's likely in the review process now. It might be awarded, but patent applications get rejected every single day so this one might as well.
thfuran 5y ago
Because there are, as far as I know, no actual penalties for filing complete horseshit patents, and sometimes they even get granted.
wildzzz 5y ago
Read the claims. Did any of those have internal power supplies (battery?), a touchpad, active cooling, and a single Type C port?
- retrac 5y ago
  None of that is innovative in a way not obvious to any engineer in the field. It's basically a laptop without a screen. Being the first to combine a specific list of features is not necessarily patentable by itself. The combination would have to, paraphrasing various patent laws, surprise an expert in the relevant art with its originality or non-obviousness.
  - chillacy 5y ago
    I'm not a lawyer, only someone who has a few utility patents. My opinion so far is that my patents are not particularly innovative, but I assume there's a numbers game to it for corp attorneys which encourages them to file these. Also, afaik the more specific the patent (must have battery, screen, and connect A and B with wires), the less useful it is. So if the independent claims at the end of the patent come with a lot of caveats, they are less and less easy to find targets for enforcement.

raninepaths 5y ago

What if keyboard stops working? Whole case of computer needs to be changed?

thfuran 5y ago
Well, it's out of warranty and that repair would cost so much that you're really better off getting a new keyputer.
nathanasmith 5y ago
Assuming USB ports, you cheekily plug in another keyboard!
- theandrewbailey 5y ago
  Or if it has Bluetooth (dunno why it wouldn't), use a bluetooth keyboard.

colejohnson66 5y ago

Blogspam: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/25/apple-explores-mac-inside-keyboard-device/ https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/25/apple-explores-mac-insi... They don't even hide it: > The lengthy patent filing, which was unearthed by Macrumors, ...