Apple Patent Points To iMac Touch Running OS X and iOS

siliconbits noted an interesting little tale of a recently surfaced Apple Patent covering an iMac Touch with a flex base that switches from iOS to OS X based on orientation. There's some interesting food for thought in there ... I can't decide if I like the idea or not.

Comments

Finally, proof of what we've been saying for years

[tomhudson]

iMac Touch with a flex base that switches from iOS to OS X based on orientation.

So if you're straight, it runs one OS, and if you're gay, it runs the other.

Does this mean Apple is trying to patent device-based gaydar?

iMac running iOS

[Culture20]

Jobs #&@%ing told you. He told you that iOS was the way his computers were going to shift, but you said "not on the desktop, that's what Mac OS X is for". In five years time, he'll be running iOS on xserves and calling it a revolution in server security "never run untested code! Turn daemons on and off with the flick of a finger on your dedicated iPad (dedication license fees per iPad/xserve connection apply).

Re:Apple slowly replacing OS X with iOS

[Lars T.]

the obscuring of the keys, it is plain stupid.

A stupid trait it shares with an actual keyboard. Ooops, hadn't noticed that, eh?

Re:Apple slowly replacing OS X with iOS

[Lars T.]

This is what it has looked like for a long time. iOS is on their every other line of devices and the walled garden apps economy is a significant money maker for Apple.

That was my first question: how does the combination of a very closed system like iOS combine with the openness of OS X?

The same way it works on a notebook with a browser or media player in the BIOS, I guess.

Re:Apple patent

[Lars T.]

but I've never seen anything an "Apple patent points to".

Apple Hints At Future Liquid-Cooled Laptops . Apple Patents 'Chameleon' Computer Case Apple Applies For Rotary Mouse Patent

Apple patents may point/hint/suggest a lot of things, but if they come out with something, it's unlike what Slashdotters claimed it would be.

Re:Cisco

[Lars T.]

It's going to play havoc with Google searches until Google figures out the difference between Cisco IOS and Apple IOS. Many a router will suffer for it though.

Easy: Cisco's IOS is the one with the plethora of bugs, and the stupid CLI (a mandatory space before and after a pipe? Overly long descriptive commands that require you to enter 5 or more single letters even when they are unique after the third word?)

Re:i guess apple hasn't learned from MS and IBM

[Lars T.]

I didn't have a 3gs, but an old-school 3g.

I know, but the 3gs is still on sale, and for half the price of the cheapest iPhone4. And without the attenuation issues :)

There's no doubt in my mind this iPhone gets the best cellular reception yet, even though measured signal is lower than the 3GS.

Looks like some crackpot mod is calling Anand a troll.