Apple’s new MacBook sounds brilliant and bewildering

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

Identified by Patently Apple, the patent describes 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 enhance your other devices can make it the definitive technology center for creatives. Or could it?

The process describes how multiple charging coils can be placed inside the frame and lid of a MacBook “that can accommodate charging multiple devices at the same time”. According to Patently Apple, it is the new superpowerful M1 processor that would be able to do the extra heavy lifting. (If you haven’t checked out the mind-boggling new machines yet, Apple’s MacBooks M1 have already had a surprising price cut.)

But while a machine to govern (sorry, charge) everyone seems tempting, Apple’s patent application raises some questions – most notably, how the hell should you use the laptop with an iPhone and an Apple Watch on top of it. It certainly wouldn’t be a comfortable typing experience, and while we hope that Apple has a more elegant solution in mind, this is the company behind the mouse that can’t be used while charging.

Second, this three-in-one wireless charging solution reminds us of another Apple product – one that has never seen the light of day. Yes, we are talking about AirPower, the three-way wireless charger that Apple unceremoniously discarded because it did not meet the company’s “high standards”. If Apple couldn’t figure out how to make AirPower work as a simple charger, will it really be able to incorporate it into a functional laptop?