Apple Might Fuse iPhone And MacBook To Keep Smartphone Relevant

When the first iPhone came out, the world treated it as a revolutionary product that absolutely everybody had to have. Now, while the latest iterations of Apple’s flagship gadget is still popular, it has started showing its age. In order to keep the iPhone relevant, the tech giant is currently exploring new ways to bring back its spark. One of the solutions it is reportedly considering is turning the iPhone into a laptop.

The idea of an iPhone becoming a laptop is not that strange in an age of 2-in-1 convertibles. Apple’s iPad Pro can even dock with peripheral keyboards, which allows users to use them as laptops. Based on the patent application that the company published, however, it would seem that the iPhone itself will retain its design as it is known now. It will simply be attached to a peripheral with a standard laptop design, complete with keyboards and a bigger screen.

As AppleInsider describes it, the peripheral will basically look like and possess the aspects usually found on regular laptops. Aside from the keyboard and screen, it will also likely come with a GPU and some ports. The only difference is that it won’t be able to function without the iPhone being docked in a space reserved for the device, which suggests that the OS used would be the iOS in the iPhone itself.

While patents have been known to come to nothing in the past, as Forbes notes, this development does provide an interesting insight into the roadmap that Apple might be looking at. It might just save the company from the drop in enthusiasm among users for both the MacBook and the iPhone if the idea pans out.

At the very least, it would save the company some money if it didn’t have to manufacture a full lineup of new MacBook units every single year, which it has failed to do in the past. If the rate of improvement in processing power and graphical capabilities of the iPhone holds up, it could also provide users with a more convenient experience.