Apple’s Touch Bar which debuted in the MacBook Pro a few years ago was a sound idea on paper. The idea of a series of virtual buttons that could contextually change based on the app users were using seemed like a fantastic idea, but the implementation fell short as not all developers bothered to really take advantage of it.
However, it seems that maybe Apple has discovered a more practical use for it, and that is to charge the Apple Pencil. This is according to a report from AppleInsider who discovered the patent which suggested that Apple envisions the space used by Touch Bar as potentially acting as a spot for users to magnetically attach their Apple Pencils to for charging.
Now, given that the Apple Pencil isn’t supported on any other device apart from the iPad, it seems like an odd patent. However, if the rumors that Apple is exploring an all-display foldable MacBook are true, we wouldn’t be surprised if Apple Pencil support wasn’t offered alongside it.
Having a space to charge the stylus while in laptop mode makes sense, and then when users switch to tablet mode, they’ll have a fully charged Apple Pencil to use. We probably wouldn’t get our hopes up at seeing this implementation become a reality, but it’s an interesting idea nonetheless.
Filed in . Read more about Apple Pencil, Laptops, Macbook Pro, Patent and Social Hit. Source: appleinsider