According to a patent application made public by the USPTO this morning (and originally filed a year ago), Apple believes it's possible to build a flexible display into an iPad cover in order to "greatly enhance" the functionality of the tablet itself. Taking power and data from a dedicated connector on the side of the slate, at least one segment of the name-deserving Smart Cover could be used to augment the main display with space for extra icons, or operate as a separate media control interface, or simply display notifications. Drawings collected in the gallery below also hint at using the entire inner surface of the cover as a keyboard (ala Microsoft Surface) or as a drawing area. As with all patent applications, there's nothing to say such an idea will ever see Californian sunlight, but it'd be crying shame if it didn't.
Filed under: Tablet PCs
Apple seeks patent for Smart Cover with embedded secondary display originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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