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January 3rd, 2008
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Docking Station for Apple SubNoteBook

hrmpf on January 3rd, 2008

Apple has designed an implementation for a docking station for a MacBook- this invention would seem best suited to use with an Apple Sub NoteBook as is rumored to be announced at MacWorld on January 15. Is this just another Apple patent application or evidence of the Apple SubNoteBook?

MacBook Docking Station


Basically, the docking station is like the current iMac but it has a MacBook sized hole in it’s side where you slide a MacBook (or better yet a subNoteBook) in and dock it. This allows you to use the bigger monitor/graphics card/keyboard etc of the docking station with your svelte but difficult-to-write-novels-on-because-the-keyboard-is-so-small Mac subNoteBook.

Integrated monitor and docking station

Title: Integrated monitor and docking station
Inventors: Farrugia
Filed: July 3, 2006
Released: Jan 3, 2008

A docking station is disclosed. The docking station includes a display and a housing configured to hold the display in a manner that exposes a viewing surface of the display to view. The housing defines a docking area configured to receive a portable computer; The docking area is at least partly obscured by the display when viewed from the viewing surface side of the display at an angle substantially orthogonal to the viewing surface.
dockingstation_4.pngdockingstation_3.png

Traditionally a portable computer docking station requires a separate external monitor to be connected (e.g., by cable) to the docking station when a display other than the integrated display of the portable computer is desired to be used with the docking station. Often a significant amount of desk space is required for placement of this docking station and separate display. Attempts have been made to conserve the required amount of desk space by allowing the external display to be stacked on top of the docking station. However, the stacked combination still occupies a large amount of space and is cumbersome to move and transport. Therefore there exists a need for a docking station and display combination that is configured in a more efficient form.
dockingstation_2.png



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Comment:
1
Written by:
Bernd
Posted on:
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:39 pm

Hello again ;-) This looks very much like an updated version of the best laptop/docking station yet… remember the PowerbookDuo and its DuoDock that cought the PowerBook like a VCR and pulled it in like a VCR a tape? And inside you’d have an extra hard disk and some slots - e.g. for a graphics card.
This new patent would really be a worthy successor and let again pale the ugly PC notebook docking crutches :-)

Happy New Year,
Bernd

Comment:
2
Written by:
Markus
Posted on:
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:30 pm

I don’t buy into this, as it looks in these drawings.

Why can’t one just use a regular Cinema Display connected to a SubNotebook, the notebook shouldn’t take to much space anyway?

And if a hardware-keyboard is really small on the SubNotebook, why would Apple then build in one at all?

For me it only would make sense as a regular display, with just the added feature to dock some really small devices (iPod touch, iPhone) and have a closeable cover, for when nothing is docked inside the slot.

Comment:
3
Written by:
hrmpf.com - » Apple Patent shows details of iPhone 1.1.3 firmware
Posted on:
January 11th, 2008 at 5:21 pm

[...] Docking Station for Apple SubNoteBook [...]

Comment:
4
Written by:
webseeings » Blog Archive » Apple: Am Herrner vorbei
Posted on:
February 18th, 2008 at 7:36 pm

[...] Macbooks, Pro-Macbooks und Air-Macbooks gehen alle an meinem Laptop-Bedarf vorbei: Die normalen Macbooks spiegeln auch, die Pro-Macbooks sind einfach zu teuer und haben Eigenschaften nicht, die man von einem “Pro”-Laptop einfach erwarten können sollte (vor allem keine Dockingstation), und das Macbook Air ist auch genau das, was ich nicht brauche - ein Computer ganz ohne Anschlüsse ist für jemanden, der WLAN nur anschaltet, wenn es unbedingt sein muss, wohl nicht gemacht worden. “Das dünnste Laptop der Welt…” aber die Werbelügerei hat bei Apple ja Tradition. Um für mich interessant zu sein bräuchte es bei Apple ein sehr kleines (<=12″) Laptop, das man in eine richtige Dockingstation stecken kann. Und das man noch bezahlen kann. Das Patent für meine Wunschlösung haben sie ja bereits eingereicht, aber patentiert wird ja so allerhand. [...]



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