Future iMacs may sport glass in the rear as well as for a display cover. They may also sport illuminated, wireless keyboards like those on Mac laptops.
Apple has filed for a patent (number 9,125,298) with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for “fused glass device housings” that may be used to cover a display and other internal electronic device components. Jony Ive, Apple’s design guru, is listed as one of the inventors.
In the patent filing, Apple doesn’t say why replacing aluminum on devices such as iMacs would be desirable (perhaps it’s just cooler looking). However, the company says that the use of glass should be used with care so as not to add extra size or weight to the device. The patent could also refer to a Thunderbolt Display, which is way overdue for a 5K upgrade.
The partnership will allow a “seamless experience” between iOS devices and desk phones in environments featuring Cisco voice/video hardware, according to Cisco Executive Chairman John Chambers. With Apple’s support, Cisco will deliver experiences specially optimized for iOS across mobile, cloud, and premises-based collaboration tools such as Cisco Spark, Cisco Telepresence and Cisco WebEx in order to deliver seamless team collaboration and reinvent the meeting experience, he adds.
The Apple-Cisco announcement comes 13 months after Apple announced a partnership with IBM, which has led to Big Blue bringing IBM’s big data and analytics capabilities to the iPhone and iPad. As part of the exclusive IBM MobileFirst for iOS agreement, IBM also began selling iOS devices with the industry-specific solutions to business clients worldwide.
And in April 2015, the Japan Post Group, IBM and Apple announced an initiative designed to improve the quality of life for millions of Japanese senior citizens. The new initiative will deliver iPads with IBM-developed apps and analytics to connect millions of seniors with services, healthcare, community and their families.
Go here for more info on the Apple-Cisco partnership.
