Apple Patents Design For What Could Be Its First Photography Accessory
By Ell Ko, 11 Feb 2022
Apple may be known for creating devices, but most of its accessories still come from other companies. This is something the company may be working on, having patented a design for a smartphone mount.
A document depicting this design was uncovered by Patently Apple. It shows two potential designs of a right-angled bracket that appears to use MagSafe to hold the device in place.
The first iteration shows a hinged joint that allows the angle of the mount to be adjusted, and the other seems less flexible but does come with a Lightning port.
Its base has an opening, too, which may be leveraged to attach it to something like a drone, gimbal, or tripod.
PetaPixel points out the numerous benefits of using MagSafe to hold the iPhone in place as opposed to a conventional pressure clamp in most mounts. Apart from easier adjustments and a quick attachment, MagSafe would also be able to charge the phones through the mount as well as transfer data to and fro.
This could be the firm’s first foray into photography accessories, despite having made vast improvements and developments to the iPhone’s camera tech. Most smartphone tripods, mounts, and other similar items are typically purchased from a third party.
As promising as the concept looks, a patent doesn’t mean that the firm will indeed be developing this accessory. Apple may also be looking to license this design to other firms instead of creating it on its own.
[via PetaPixel and Patently Apple, image via Apple / US Patent & Trademark Office]