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Apple Researching iPad Smart Covers with Secondary Displays, Keyboards, Solar Cells

jordanm86 said:
I must say, it looks awesome but perhaps Apple should look at making a smart cover that actually functions as advertised.

Now don't get me wrong, I am truly an Apple fanboy but the current smart cover is not practical.

I bought a leather smart cover for £69 and you can use the case as a raiser when typing but if you try to use it as a stand, it falls over with the slightest nudge and you can't touch anything higher than 4-5cm from the bottom of the screen as it will fall over :-/

Wonder if Apple will cover damage to iPads caused by them falling over without being touched due to poor cover design?
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I wonder, which way so you fold the smart cover? Mine is much sturdier when you fold the triangle in a way so that the soft fabric part that is normally against the screen is on the outside.
 
If they go through with this, Apple will have to sell a Smart Cover Cover.
 
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Apple are going to be pissed off about this research leak. Now Samsung will... in the next 3 months...
 
Time for the Surface to die! The Surface is going to be stillborn once Apple gets the keyboard cover rightfully patented.
 
TimTheEnchanter said:
I've always thought a smart cover with a built-in and connected eInk display would be awesome.
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You should have patented your idea then ;)

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macsmurf said:
I'm still amazed that you can patent "Instead of searching in one place let's search in two or more places".

I wonder how many patents a software developer unknowingly infringe on during his career.
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Probably a dozen. Fortunately this only applies to USA, in Europe software patents don't really exist in the same form as in America.

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smoledman said:
Laughable. How many Surfaces have been sold?
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Oh, so it's about sales now? My company makes more money so we can imitate other's ideas?
 
if apple does get awarded for this patent, i can foresee apple is going for another round of lawsuits. haha
 
I'd love any of those features, but probably have no use for the movie controls, and certainly have no use for advertising what I'm watching/listening to to whomever is walking towards me.

The open-cover dual display reminds me of that MS notebook teaser that came out some year(s) ago and looked so cool.

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MuddyPaws1 said:
Solar needs to be on the outside, not the inside. So it can charge when not in use.
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Please!
 
morespce54 said:
Great. Just what I was looking for... A way to let everybody knows what I'm listening and/or what's my planning for the day...
/sarcasm

Seriously, the keyboard and energy cells sounds nice...
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Just a heads up. If you're being sarcastic and need to put "/sarcasm" in your post you're doing it wrong.

I am all for anything that makes life easier so way to go for looking at ways of making that happen.

As far as the person that said it would cost around $99 you made me lolololololololololololol!! This is apple after all, they found a way to charge people $35 for some rubber and plastic with small metal buttons to put around your iPhone, and you think they would only charge $65 more dollars for this? Again lolololololololololololol. :D
 
Winni said:
Since a certain company from Redmond already has introduced the "keyboard in a cover", there would now be "prior art" even if Apple received a patent for it - hence Apple's patent, would they get it, could be easily invalidated.

Proving that there was "prior art" is the most effective way to kill a patent. If it weren't, some idiot would already have patented the wheel or the roman alphabet.
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Wrong, the prior art would have to be before the patent was filed. (2011) So if Apple wants to mess with them Microsoft is going to have issues.
 
Kenrik said:
Wrong, the prior art would have to be before the patent was filed. (2011) So if Apple wants to mess with them Microsoft is going to have issues.
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So you're saying Apple had the keyboard in cover patent before Microsoft?
 
Winni said:
Since a certain company from Redmond already has introduced the "keyboard in a cover", there would now be "prior art" even if Apple received a patent for it - hence Apple's patent, would they get it, could be easily invalidated.

.
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Nope, they would have to find art prior to August 2011 to invalidate the patent hitch is more than just a keyboard in a cover

And hell Logitech etc have been doing to keyboard in a cover for a couple of years. So Microsoft can't claim that one as new or unique
 
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