A future Mac may be enclosed entirely within a keyboard, requiring only a display for work and play. Apple has been granted a patent (number US 12055984 B2) for a “Computer in an Input Device.’
About the patent
In the patent, Apple notes that large or bulky computing components have traditionally been needed within computing devices to achieve a desired level of performance, such as a desired amount of memory or a desired level of computing power. Housings for such computing devices were thus constrained to designs including relatively large or uninterrupted internal volumes. Other performance requirements for the computing devices also limited the housings to certain form factors.
However, there’s a strong demand for portable computing devices that also deliver high performance has driven miniaturization and reduction in size of the once bulky computing components used to power and drive the devices. Components, such as processors, batteries, memory, integrated circuits, and the like are now being manufactured within smaller footprints to provide lightweight and thin portable computing devices.
Apple says that, consequently, further tailoring of housing designs, shapes, and configurations to provide additional or enhanced device functionality, is desirable. And the tech giant’s patent involves housing an entire Mac in a keyboard.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “A computing device can include an enclosure that defines an internal volume and an external surface. An input component can be positioned at the external surface. A processing unit and a memory can be communicatively coupled and disposed within the internal volume. A singular input/output port can be positioned at an orifice defined by the enclosure.
“The singular input/output port can be communicatively coupled to the processing unit and the memory. The singular input/output port can be configured to receive data and power and configured to output data from the processing unit. The computing device can include an air-moving apparatus to move air along an airflow pathway. The enclosure can include a thermally conductive base.”
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