The clever endlink in the Apple Watch could be extended to other devices as Apple explores a new “attachment system” that could even be the way “Apple Glass” frames are connected together.
Apple's design for attaching bands to an Apple Watch was revolutionary. A recently revealed patent application seeks to expand this to other applications. "Attachment system for an Electronic Device" is a hybrid of describing what it's already used for and what it could become. Although the patent application was recently published, it dates back to 2015, and one might initially assume it refers exclusively to the Apple Watch.
Apple patent covers many different devices
But the patent also suggests using the idea of an "attachment system" for glasses, perhaps a foreshadowing of "Apple Glass"? Because while the drawings that are visible are all based on the Apple Watch, Apple is keen to bring other devices into play as well. What Apple is proposing is a system that couples "an electronic device, a mechanical device, an electromechanical device, and so on" with an accessory such as a case, a lanyard, a band, a strap, a chain, a dock, and the like." Apple could do the dance of patent filings, with each inventor making the broadest possible claims to withstand future litigation.
One inventor has already been linked to Apple Glass
Apple may also be seeking a patent on one of the Apple Watch's cleverest design features, but some of these drawings are also oddly reminiscent of the PowerBook Duo being plugged into the Duo Dock in the 1990s, turning a laptop into a desktop. Apple's newly revealed patent application repeatedly speaks of an "ecosystem where the devices are interchangeable with each other." The patent application is attributed to three inventors. One of them, Phillip M. Hobson, has already been linked to work on Apple Glass. So things are likely to get pretty exciting. (Photo by Abu Hanifah Bin Jamil / Bigstockphoto)
