Apple’s new MacBook sounds both brilliant and baffling

Ah, good old Apple patents. Offering us a glimpse at what bold (and often bizarre) ideas the company has up its sleeve, leaked filings are often our first look at the tech innovations Apple could end up revealing. And if the latest leak is anything to go by, all of your Apple devices could soon be spending a lot more time together. 

Spotted by Patently Apple, the patent depicts a MacBook with the ability to wirelessly charge your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and more. The MacBook Pro is already our best laptop for graphic design, but the ability to juice your other devices could make it the ultimate tech hub for creatives. Or could it?

The filing describes how multiple charging coils could be placed inside both the frame and lid of a MacBook “that could accommodate charging of multiple devices at one time”. According to Patently Apple, it’s the super-powerful new M1 processor that would be able to pull off the extra heavy lifting. (If you haven’t checked out the mind-blowing new machines yet, Apple’s M1 MacBooks have already seen a surprise price cut.)

But while one machine to rule (sorry, charge) them all sounds tempting, Apple’s patent filing raises some questions – most notably, how on earth you’re supposed to use the laptop with an iPhone and Apple Watch sitting on top of it. It certainly wouldn’t make for a comfortable typing experience, and while we hope Apple has a more elegant solution in mind, this is the company behind the mouse that can’t be used while charging. 

Secondly, this three-in-one wireless charging solution reminds us of another Apple product – one which never saw the light of day. Yes, we’re talking about AirPower, the three-way wireless charger Apple unceremoniously dumped for failing to meet the company’s “high standards”. If Apple couldn’t figure out how to make AirPower work as a simple charging pad, will it really be able to incorporate it into a working laptop?