Future iOS Devices Could Have MagSafe Chargers Like Our Macs

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MagSafe-for-iOS-patent

If you owned an Apple notebook before 2006 when the MagSafe method of charging was introduced, you’ll know that if someone tripped over your power cord, they often took your computer down with them. Now we have the MagSafe, we don’t have to worry about the fool in the coffee shop who isn’t looking where he’s going, because your power cord just pops out with a slight tug.

According to a new Apple patent, MagSafe technology could also be heading to iOS devices to safe them from clumsy feet.

In a patent application published by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, and discovered by Patently Apple, Apple describes a new method of charging that’s designed to bring piece of mind to iOS device owners:

Apple has been granted a patent for the assembly of a unit supporting MagSafe into an iOS device like an iPad as noted in patent FIG. 7 below. The patent states that “In one particular embodiment, the connector may be a power connector such as the MagSafe.”

It’s unlikely the technology will appear in the iPhone 5 if Apple chooses to use it, but it may appear in iOS devices a little further down the line. Of course, there are also plenty of Apple patents that never actually lead to anything, so let’s not get our hopes up just yet.

Would you like a MagSafe charger in your iPhone or iPad?

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