patents

An Apple patent has revealed that future iPhones could effectively get multiple Action buttons, as all three buttons on the left side of the phone become user-configurable.

The same patent indicates that similar capabilities may come to other Apple devices, including both iPads and Macs …

Apple is noted for taking its time when it comes to entering new product categories, but a 2008 patent shows that the company had been working on Vision Pro for at least 15 years before it finally launched.

Both the patent drawing and the description of the device are remarkably consistent with the product that finally launched in 2024 …

A recent report suggested we might see an Apple security camera launch in 2026, and more than 80% of you said you’d be likely to buy one.

We argued that we can expect Apple Intelligence features to be included, and a newly-granted patent backs that view …

A patent granted today describes an Apple projector capable of displaying a mix of AR and VR content onto the desk and walls of your home or office without the need for a headset or screen.

The company says that a mix of low-res and hi-res content could be projected, and that the device might be motorized so that it can turn to display content on different surfaces …

Apple famously dispensed with a physical keyboard when it revolutionized the smartphone market, and the company’s long-term goal appears to be to do the same for laptops.

A succession of patents have revealed Apple’s work on an all-screen MacBook with a virtual trackpad and keyboard, and a new continuation patent published yesterday shows that this project is still very much alive …

9to5Mac recently discovered evidence in iOS 18 that Apple is testing using future AirPods models to measure heartbeat, with our sources indicating that the feature will be implemented in both AirPods Pro 3 and the next generation of Powerbeats Pro.

An Apple patent application describes how the company can use a health sensor not just to measure heart-rate, but also to detect heart disease …

We’ve seen quite a few Apple Ring patent applications, a number of them granted, and the latest is one of the more extensive ones.

Among the interesting elements here is Siri support, and a description of how multiple rings could be worn – including a ring-to-ring wireless charging arrangement …

If you want to try out a new iPhone, you might not have to leave your home in future. Apple has applied for a patent which illustrates a virtual try-out of a new phone from within a Vision Pro environment. The company describes its use for iPads and Macs too.

For example, you could hold up a virtual iPhone in front of a virtual landscape, and see the images you’d capture with the different cameras …

Another Apple smart ring patent has today been granted, which includes both health monitoring and the ability to control other Apple devices.

It suggests that data could be wirelessly sent from the ring for display on devices with screens, including both Vision Pro and smart glasses …

The Apple Car project may be dead, but there’s still a chance we’ll see some Apple tech in cars made by other companies – and a patent application for a way to replace car mirrors with cameras could be an interesting candidate.

Such systems already exist, with camera views shown on dashboard displays, but what Apple wants to do is instead project them onto your windshield …

It’s been a while since iOS began warning iPhone and iPad users about the security of Wi-Fi networks in the Settings app depending on their password type. However, it seems that Apple wants to take this system to the next level, at least that’s what one of the company’s latest patents shows.

Vision Pro comfort is one of the biggest limiting factors for the device right now. Many owners say that the weight makes itself known in even moderate use, and my own experience was that I felt both the weight and heat in session lasting around an hour.

But the company may have a solution for either this or future Apple Vision products, as outlined in a newly-granted patent …

Apple has applied for a patent on a swappable hi-tech rear cover for a smartphone, with an iPhone rear display and additional cameras among the potential applications listed by the company.

The application also appears to describe a way to offer case-like protection without the bulk of a conventional iPhone case …

Sometimes with Apple, what’s old becomes new again. Designs and product names are at times revisited as the inspiration for new products. AirPods and HomePods, for example, play off the strong brand awareness for the iPod.

According to a filed patent, Apple may take things a step further with the iPod inspiration, creating an AirPods case that looks and works a lot like a modern iPod nano.

We reported last year on an intriguing patent for an ‘Apple pebble’ device, which appeared to be intended as some kind of Vision Pro accessory.

Now the company has applied for a new patent on what appears to be another take on the tiny mysterious device …

A smart MagSafe wallet could alert you if you leave a card behind after using it in a store, thanks to a simple approach described in a new Apple patent application.

The wallet could also better protect you against accidentally losing cards when carrying only one or two cards …

A potential new Apple Watch emergency SOS feature described in a new patent application could help save some swimmers from drowning.

The patent describes how the Watch could detect “irregular behaviour” and automatically transmit a call for help …

A recent report suggested we might be seeing some form of Apple Pencil for Vision Pro, and that idea appears to be supported by an Apple patent application published this week.

The lack of a physical surface to press against means that things like drawing and handwriting can be tougher in a virtual environment, and Apple describes a couple of interesting solutions to this …

Although Apple has long rejected the concept of a touchscreen iMac or MacBook, and for good reason, there was one product which made us wonder whether there might be a role for such a device: the Microsoft Surface Studio (above).

Take away the Microsoft logo and Windows UI, and you could easily imagine it was designed by Apple. It’s today being suggested that a new patent application might hint at the possibility of making a Mac version …

An Apple Ring patent application has been granted, amid conflicting reports about the status of the company’s development of such a device.

However, while recent reports focus more on the applications of a ring as a health sensor as a cheaper alternative to an Apple Watch, this patent is more concerned with using it as an input device …

A newly-published patent application describes a method for Apple Watch sweat measurement, which could provide useful data to athletes, as well as guiding fluid intake after exercise.

The patent describes how perspiration measurement could be automatically triggered when motion sensors suggest the wearer is exercising …