The patent was first reported by patently apple and has a wide range of potential applications. Apple often patents dozens of ideas, but only a few are visible. Nevertheless, the patent describes a basic device, such as a keyboard including keys and touch pad, which can be combined with computing devices such as iPad to provide a seemingly MacOS like experience through apple pencil.
The patent describes the combination of iPad and keyboard. Other pictures in the document show that computing devices can be detected from the keyboard and used independently, similar to the current user can separate iPad from magic keyboard. In addition, the patent may be imagining the future MacBook Combined with iPad, the two devices are combined into one. Separated from the keyboard, the combination can be used as an iPad equipped with apple pencil. Then, when connected to the keyboard, it becomes a Mac with touch screen function.
Apple has long said that the touch-screen MAC is not its goal or what it wants to do, so maybe the combination of iPad and MacBook is the future of Apple's computer product line. In his April 17 power on newsletter, mark gulman of Bloomberg put forward an idea that seems to be the same as that in the patent submitted by Apple earlier this week. Gulman speculates that the future iPad should consist of three modes: touch screen mode, apple pencil optimized experience, and "professional" mode when connected to the keyboard or external display. Although purely speculative, gulman reports that apple is planning to improve the multitasking experience in the iPad OS 16.
The iPad OS 16 will be previewed at Apple's global developer conference from June 6 to June 10 in a month. There, Apple will preview not only the iPad OS 16, but also IOS 16. It is said that IOS 16 will include new health features, improved notifications and so on.