Apple’s first experiment with touchscreens on Macs produced the Touch Bar recently, but the iPhone maker might be considering something a lot more ambitious in the future. Apple Insider has discovered a patent filing that covers laptops that include docks for an iPhone or iPad. In one example an iPhone can be docked into the trackpad section of the laptop, providing the processor, graphics card, memory, and storage for the entire device. The iPhone would then be used as the trackpad.

The laptop itself would include a display and batteries to power the experience, much like how HP’s LapDock works. Apple’s patent for the iPad would see the tablet docking into the display portion, with a trackpad supplied on the laptop instead. Again, the…

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