Apple gets Patent published today to Use Iphone with Macbook chassis as a computer

[Hashtronaut]

I'd agree with Nixx on this one. Just seems like a gimmick to me. Doesn't really seem all that practical. I have a laptop. I have a phone. Why do I need a phone-top or whatever the fuck you would call this? What practical purpose does it serve which I don't already have?

Yeah I don't really see the point either tbh...but it's apple so they'll probably sell like a billion of them

[Azadina]

Im sorry, many of the rest of us have moved on to Bluetooth headsets for calls long ago, maybe you should join us in the future?

Or maybe you should hit the gym, if you feel a phone is too heavy to hold, to actually speak into it. I see most people managing just fine.

[SidFwuff]

Completely useless gimmick. Powering laptops with ones phone? Some people must enjoy buying new phone every 6 months, because that's what it'll accomplish; to kill your phones battery.

I only glanced at the patent but I don't think it's an actual laptop. It's a dock.

Think of the Nintendo Switch.

You get to work and instead of turning on your laptop you drop your iPhone into this "laptop" dock. You get a bit more RAM and drive space, and an actual keyboard.

For lunch, you go to Starbucks and take your iPhone with you. Your work "laptop" no longer works. At Starbucks you pop your iPhone into one of their "laptops" and send some e-mails using the physical keyboard.

When you leave, you pop your iPhone out and the chassis becomes inactive. On the subway ride home that night you listen to iTunes on your iPhone and communicate with Facebook.

When you get home you pop your iPhone into your personal "laptop" dock and play the latest popular game on your iPhone, which is augmented by the GPU in the "laptop" dock (just like the Nintendo Switch).

When you go to bed you pop your iPhone out and use it as an alarm clock.

tldr;

Think less "powering laptop" and more replacing your laptop and desktop with your phone.

Think less "buying new phone every 6 months" and more "Buying a new phone and multiple phone docks every 6 months"

[Moozart]

That doesn't answer any of my questions.

Why do I need this "feature" which allows me to put my phone where my mouse pad would be? What advantage does this give me which I don't already have with a phone and a laptop? Why is this practical? Why do I need this? How is this going to make me more productive?

are you really that dense? the point is not having to pay full price for a second device while keeping EVERYTHING contained to one device.

[Mayhem]

And what if you need the laptop to stay powered for work, while having to answer the phone. Are people going to pick up the laptop and wrap it around their head to talk on the phone?

I imagine skype or something similiar but that would then mean everyone could listen to you if you happen to be working in the public so you need to have a headset with you at all times.

I uhm i don´t know if i would use something like that, certainly not made by apple because apple is just expensive and in my opinion inconvenient by design.

Also wouldn´t that macbook need it´s own gpu and hard drive? So all this replaces is the OS and the "motherboard"?

"Look at this great new macbook that you can´t use without an iphone! Awesome!"

[Docturphil]

And what if you need the laptop to stay powered for work, while having to answer the phone. Are people going to pick up the laptop and wrap it around their head to talk on the phone?

Actually I do take phone calls on my laptop at work. VOIP + a USB headset. And with a VPN connection I can take the calls from anywhere I have an internet connection. So my laptop is already a phone.

[Tack980]

Will never work on high spec machines, those things eat through power like candy. My laptop battery last 5 hours , but could power a low spec PC by 10.

[Gully Man]

Not sure about this. Average life cycle of a mobile phone is what, 24 months? Every time they release a new iphone it's slightly different to the previous model in size so that means any time you upgrade your phone you'd probably need to buy a new one of these shells.

[HumbleDuck]

I think you're missing the point. Instead of paying for 5 different computing devices, you buy one main machine (phone) and a bunch of cheap shells for different uses. And not to mention everything is stored neatly in one place, in your pocket.

Also I hope you can see where this is headed. Basically a credit card thin phone and will just slide into a laptop shell/ desktop shell/ tablet shell/tv shell.

And that's not even the first gen padfone. ( 1st gen came out in 2012 I think.)

[Logwyn]

Actually I do take phone calls on my laptop at work. VOIP + a USB headset. And with a VPN connection I can take the calls from anywhere I have an internet connection. So my laptop is already a phone.

The minute you get a crappy network or connection the quality of your VOIP call will go down too. But yes yes you are right you can do this. Its a nice feature.

[Azadina]

Actually I do take phone calls on my laptop at work. VOIP + a USB headset. And with a VPN connection I can take the calls from anywhere I have an internet connection. So my laptop is already a phone.

Does that work if someone calls the cellphone in your pocket?

[Logwyn]

I would imagine they would have too. The chassis is supposedly going to have a built in GPU so would need more than just the iphones power to run it.

I thought this was an all inclusion only needing the cell phone to power the laptop. Now you are saying we additional power for it to work?

- - - Updated - - -

Does that work if someone calls the cellphone in your pocket?

You do it through he laptop not the cellphone. You kinda have to have the laptop on and powered up.

[Kujako]

I thought this was an all inclusion only needing the cell phone to power the laptop. Now you are saying we additional power for it to work?

The idea is to use the iPhones storage and CPU. That's about it.

[Docturphil]

are you really that dense? the point is not having to pay full price for a second device while keeping EVERYTHING contained to one device.

Laptops are always going to be far more powerful than a phone for the price. This laptop shell or whatever you want to call it would have to be pretty cheap for it to be worth it. Not to mention the fact that you would be stuck with fucking iOS, the most restrictive OS in existence. With a macbook you at least get Mac OS.

[Docturphil]

Does that work if someone calls the cellphone in your pocket?

Nope. Different number.

[ComputerNerd]

So similar to what Windows Phones do with continuum, connect your peripherals and turn it into a PC.
Just seem to be providing a "neater", but very restrictive chassis to do the same.
Would it work with anything but an apple product - doubtful.
Would it be far higher priced than individual peripherals - likely.
Would it have the variety of hardware options, to be changed or switched later - no.

[Logwyn]

For lunch, you go to Starbucks and take your iPhone with you. Your work "laptop" no longer works. At Starbucks you pop your iPhone into one of their "laptops" and send some e-mails using the physical keyboard.

OMG the security nightmare has begun... I"m glad I'm getting out of IT.

[Pann]

are you really that dense? the point is not having to pay full price for a second device while keeping EVERYTHING contained to one device.

I am not sure why you feel the need to keep insulting people that do not share your enthusiasm for this.

What makes you think that this is will work out cheaper? I mean Apple are not exactly known as a brand that sells cheap products.

[Logwyn]

The idea is to use the iPhones storage and CPU. That's about it.

Pfft. That's so last five years ago. You store everything in the cloud now and not on physical storage. So you have access to it anywhere anywhere. Why the ball and chain of some physical storage device!!!

[Blueobelisk]

Man it sure is easy to see the Apple fanboys in this thread.

Assuming Apple decides to even implement this. You know you can patent something and not do it, right?