Apple patents wild MacBook camera idea – and it might kill the notch

Phone Arena

4 days ago

MacBooks are sporting a camera notch: many of you may probably not even notice it, while some of you may be bothered by it. New research now shows that Apple is continuing to work on the camera system of its MacBooks, and it's looking into other ways to make it better without having to deal with adding too much bulk to your laptop. There's a newly-granted patent called "Camera integration for portable electronic devices" which explores the option of providing a better quality MacBook camera without having to deal with it being bulky or adding to the weight of the laptop. Apple was previously granted (in 2024) a patent on a similar idea. Having two patents on the topic can hint that Cupertino is pursuing the idea. The drawings in the new patent suggest that the new camera system may not exceed 3mm, and it may protrude from a MacBook Pro lid. The patent doesn't make clear where this camera would be positioned, which is quite curious. On some drawings, the camera appears partially positioned at a notch defined by the display assembly. But in other drawings, this camera can be moved to one side of the screen, or it can even be removed from the front and affixed on the back.
It could be using magnets to attach the system. Apple's patent describes an "optical component" attached to the "wall" (or the lid) of the MacBook Pro. Also, the patent multiple times refers to the camera module being able to communicate with other such modules. Like, one camera from the front of the display, facing the user, and another on the back. The patent also talks about what could be a rotating display as well.
So basically, the user could mount one camera module on the back of the MacBook Pro lid, then rotate the whole display when they want to film. The patent doesn't focus on that, though, and doesn't list how such a rotation could be achieved or what it could be beneficial to, which is unusual for a patent. It could also be a wireless screen instead of a rotating one attached to the other part of the laptop. It could potentially be picked up out of the unit and then repositioned, which sounds pretty handy at first glance. The patent doesn't dive deep into configurable screens or keyboard units, though. As you know, when it comes to patents, it's not always certain that these inventions will see the light of day, though. It could be just something Apple is exploring, but the company can always abandon the idea or find it too expensive to make. We'll have to wait and see on that front. Meanwhile, I find the idea of a camera that can be repositioned and even a laptop display that can be changed from landscape to portrait mode quite cool, personally. I think it would be pretty cool if Apple manages to make something like that, but it does sound quite unconventional. There's also the question of durability, though. If you can reposition the display and/or the camera module, would that be durable enough to meet Apple's high standards of quality? And... what if you end up losing this camera module somewhere, if it's fully detachable, that is. I mean, I go to different coffee shops with my MacBook, and I just can't get rid of the idea of me just putting this camera module next to me on the chair and then never seeing it again. But nevertheless, the idea does sound interesting. Let's see if Apple makes something out of it.