Skip to main content

What’s Apple up to next? These patents illuminate its plans

If you’re interested in seeing where a company is headed, check its patents. They’re the most public record we have, save for hyperbole-filled press releases, of what ideas a tech maker is working on. But they also show us the crazy, half-baked ideas that will never work, too. (We’re looking at you, air-expelling keyboard and banana phone case). Apple’s a company that likes to keep its projects under wraps best it can, but it’s obsession with patenting ideas gives us a portal into future plans. We have no idea if any of these will end up in real products, but here are some of our favorite Apple patents.

Topics
AJ Dellinger
AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…
iPad Mini is at its cheapest-ever price, but the deal ends tonight
An iPad Mini standing in tent mode.

Prime Day deals are still running for a few more hours with the event ending at the end of today. That still gives you a little more time to committing to buying an Apple iPad Mini while it's on sale. Right now, it's at one of its lowest-ever prices at $380 instead of its regular price of $499. Previous dips are usually more like $399 so this is a sweet extra saving over the usual discount. By now, you've probably considered Prime Day iPad deals for a little while. Don't delay, snap up the iPad Mini now before you miss your chance. If you still need convincing, here's a quick look at what to expect and why it's worth it.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini
The Apple iPad Mini is a little powerhouse of a tablet. While so many of the best tablets focus on size, the Apple iPad Mini provides a great experience while being the kind of device you can toss into your bag. It has an attractive 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display that makes whatever you're doing look great. It has True Tone support along with P3 wide color so it always looks good, whether you're streaming your favorite shows or even indulging in a little video editing.

Read more
Apple’s latest iPhone SE can be yours for $149 today
The Apple iPhone SE (2022) being held in a mans hand.

Alongside the many Prime Day deals that Amazon has been running, Walmart has also offered its own sale in the form of Walmart+ Week. One of the best deals there is on the third-generation iPhone SE for just $149. It's a huge saving of $230 compared to the original price of $379 although there is a catch -- the phone is locked to a Straight Talk prepaid subscription. Still, if that isn't an issue for you, this is a super sweet deal. You're going to need to be fast though as with Prime Day running to a close in a matter of hours, it's also likely that deals like these will end soon too. Here's what to expect from it.

Why you should buy the third-generation Apple iPhone SE
The third-generation Apple iPhone SE, which was released in March 2022, is powered by Apple's A15 Bionic chip -- the same one that you'll find in the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 14. That means the Apple iPhone SE 2022 is pretty powerful for its price, with snappy performance when you launch even the most demanding apps and when you're multitasking between them. The device is also equipped with a 4.7-inch Retina HD display, which may be small compared to the screens of other modern smartphones, but it makes up for the lack of size with excellent color accuracy and overall high quality.

Read more
This is your chance to get the Apple Watch Series 8 at its lowest price
An Apple Watch Series 8 with the screen turned on.

You only have hours left to take advantage of Amazon dropping the price of the Apple Watch Series 8 to its lowest-ever price, with Prime Day deals set to end when the day concludes. For now, you can buy the standard Apple Watch 8 41mm for $280, saving you $119 off the usual price of $399. It's even lower than it was earlier in the Prime Day sales, and similar discounts are available for the other Apple Watch Series 8 models. Whichever model you choose, you're saving $119 including the Apple Watch Series 8 45mm, the Apple Watch Series 8 41mm GPS + Cellular, and the Apple Watch Series 8 45mm GPS + Cellular. These are some of the best Prime Day Apple deals around, but you really do have a matter of hours to take advantage of the price cuts. If you've been waiting to succumb to Prime Day Apple Watch deals, you need to get on with it now. Here's a closer look at what the Apple Watch Series 8 offers.

Apple Watch Series 8 41mm --
Apple Watch Series 8 45mm --
Apple Watch Series 8 GPS + Cellular 41mm --
Apple Watch Series 8 GPS + Cellular 45mm --

Read more