Apple awarded patent for wedge-shape design of the MacBook Air

Apple has been waging a patent war with what feels like the rest of the smartphone world for quite awhile now. As a result, most hardware manufacturers are releasing devices that steer pretty far away from what could be considered an iPhone lookalike ...



 Steve Jobs’ “Thermonuclear War” is unlikely to end with just phones, despite his original quote being targeted at Google. The Ultrabook category of laptops saw a significant spike this week as many manufacturers unveiled devices at Computex in Taipei. While everyone else in the industry is unveiling new hardware, Apple has been busy securing a patent that could have a serious impact on the now dozens of Ultrabooks that are out there today.

Earlier this week, Apple was awarded a broad design patent for the Macbook Air. Specifically, the wedge shape that has been used since the second generation of the Air. The patent outlines the hard lines that make the wedge shape, as well as the curves that make up the corners and the top of the device. Areas like the hinge or the slit for opening the device, or even the feet used underneath aren’t part of the patent. This applies specifically to a laptop form factor that is thick in the back and tapers in two straight lines to a point.

Apple now owns a patent on that design as of this week. This design has already been used by several other companies, each of which used the design after Apple released the Macbook Air. The Asus Zenbook line, for example, might run the risk of being in violation of Apple’s new patent. While the Ultrabook has a similar wedge shape, the screen plating is pretty different from Apple’s design. So far, in the US, there’s not been a lot in the way of direct Macbook Air clones, but there have been enough that come close in one key aspect or another.

Apple’s focus as of late has certainly been their iOS devices, promoting the “post-PC era”. Apple still makes great laptops, and there have been rumors that Apple plans to implement this wedge design in more of their laptops lines. The wedge shape could become the staple design with which you are able to look and instantly tell that the device is an Apple product, and this patent could help make sure that no one else has a similar looking device.
Apple hasn’t made any announcements or public legal statements about the other laptops out there, but clearly the company feels like there is something worth defending here.

Source : geek.com