MacBook with DJ turntable? Apple’s latest patent hints at fascinating device

MacBook with a detachable keyboard, screens, and…. a DJ turntable? Apple’s latest approved patent shows what the future of the MacBook could look like.

The newly approved patent reveals a potentially stunning design change for the MacBook. (Unsplash)

Over the years, MacBooks have undergone a significant evolution. The first MacBook which came out in 2006 replaced the iBook and offered features like an Intel processor, LCD display, and more. Since then, there have been significant changes, such as the introduction of the lighter MacBook Air, the more powerful MacBook Pro, and the transition to Apple Silicon. While technology keeps evolving, one thing has remained constant - Apple's intention to innovate.

And now, a newly discovered patent has shed light on a weird yet fascinating potential MacBook that could come with a DJ turntable!

Fascinating design

According to a report by Gizmodo, a newly approved patent from Apple could be the weirdest one in a long line of astonishing patents filed by the Cupertino-based company in recent years. The patent, filed in 2021, reveals Apple's ideas of making a reconfigurable computing device with modular attachments. Titled “Apple Patent Modularized Devices”, the patent is for a base that would accept multiple screens, keyboards, and other accessories as attachments. The base would have a hinge, allowing it to swivel the top and bottom fitments.

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The patent states, “The first and second retaining portions can be configured to removably retain electrical devices to the coupling mechanism.”

The included diagrams in the patent show how users would be able to attach a screen at the top and a keyboard at the bottom for a more traditional laptop setup. On the other hand, users would even be able to attach three screens simultaneously. Astonishingly, another diagram showed a DJ turntable being used as an attachment as well!

While this patent is a fascinating insight into Apple's ideas for the future of MacBooks, it does not necessarily mean it would come to fruition. In fact, it isn't the first time the Cupertino company has filed weird patents.

Apple's previous patents

According to a report by Apple Insider, the US Patent and Trademark Office approved several of Apple's patents in February. The filings highlighted an idea for a foldable iPhone, a device that Apple has been rumored to be making for a long time. Other patents include a MacBook-integrated iPhone, a windowless car, vibrating VR socks, and self-adjusting bands for the Apple Watch.

Will any of these ideas come to life? This we do not know. However, these filings reveal the creative side of a company that was once called “boring” by former employee Bob Burrough.