INVESTIGATES

The iPad is popular. Will a touchscreen Mac be the next step?

WRITTEN BY CHARLOTTE HENRY

Image credit: Apple Inc

One of the most O pertinent questions now asked by those wanting new Apple kit is whether they should splash out on an iPad or a Mac. Or, if you’re lucky, both. But the either/or dilemma became just that little bit harder to answer after Apple’s recent tablet upgrades, with the new iPad Pro and iPad Air (see p78 and 82).

And in the future, there may well be another type of device to consider. A patent has recently been granted to Apple for a ‘hinged keyboard accessory

Whatever device you opt for, Apple silicon has made a vast difference. having multiple installation modes for a tablet computing device’. In other words, a hybrid tablet/notebook. A similar patent for a hybrid device was also granted in July 2023.

Of course, companies like Apple file patents all the time. We’ve seen countless intriguing documents that have amounted to nothing in reality. However, this particular patent does show that Cupertino may be interested in developing a touchscreen notebook at some point.

An interesting proposition. But should Apple be considering the move?

Plenty of people seem to like two-in-ones with manufacturers Asus, Dell, Microsoft and Samsung all selling Windows-based versions. Some of them are pretty slick-looking and powerful too.

The first clear advantage these devices have is that they provide the user with far greater flexibility. You can be typing on the device as a notebook one minute or using it for drawing in tablet guise the next. For instance, Lenovo’s latest Yoga 2-in-1 takes input from a notebook and a stylus and can be used in four different work modes.