Apple’s Ultraportable Might Feature Collapsible Connection Receptacle

Apple Inc. may compact the I/O ports of its upcoming ultraportable notebook into a space-saving collapsible connection receptacle on the rear of the unit, the company’s new patent filling revealed.

Laptop designers from Apple say that mobile devices such as notebook computers are becoming increasingly thinner, so connections systems need to be reduced in size to accommodate smaller form factors.

It is explained in the patent filling that the new connection system includes a connection receptacle that is implemented as two separate components.

“One of the components is fixed in that it is coupled to the chassis, and the other component is rotatable or coupled to a moving mechanism,” the computer maker says.

Apple’s ultraporable notebooks are expected to be released sometime later this year or early next, according to AppleInsider’s report. These small laptops will include on-board Flash memory based storage drives and a 13-inch widescreen LED-backlit displays, but they will have no built-in optical drives reportedly. Some other reports and a separate patent filling indicate the upcoming ultraportables might also include the multi-touch trackpads.

of all things to patent.

if there is anything that should be thrown out as some kind of patent troll, its stuff like that.

[...] According some other rumors, the Apple’s ultraportable will feature a space-saving collapsible connection receptacle on the rear of the unit. In addition, some of the company’s upcoming notebooks might utilize a wide notebook touchpad with multi-touch capabilities. [...]