New patent points to a future iPhone with a Mac Pro design

Patently Apple Iphone Mac Pro Hero
Patently Apple Iphone Mac Pro Hero (Image credit: Patently Apple)

What you need to know

  • Apple has received 77 new patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  • One patent focuses on bringing the Mac Pro's cheese grater design to a future iPhone.

The Mac Pro's cheese grater design could eventually make its way into other future products from Apple.

As reported by Patently Apple, the United States Patent and Trademark Office recently granted 77 new patents for Apple, one of which could bring the Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR design to a future iPhone.

Apple notes in their granted patent that an iPhone's internal and external structural components can be formed from and include regions of a three-dimensional structure that can include one or more cavities extending into the body from a first surface of a body and one or more cavities extending into the body from a second surface of the body.One or more cavities extending into the body from the second surface of the body can intersect with or interfere with one or more cavities extending into the body from the first surface of the body to form a three-dimensional pattern of apertures or passageways in the body, maximizing surface area while maintaining structural integrity.In some examples, the three-dimensional structure may initiate on an outer surface of the body, including cavities from different directions intersecting or interfering with one another, without extending to the innermost surface of the body as presented in the patent figures below.

Patently Apple Iphone Mac Pro Patent

Patently Apple Iphone Mac Pro Patent (Image credit: Patently Apple)

According to the report, this is the second patent that Apple has been granted relating to a design like this.

While it's impossible to say if this kind of outer body could come to a future iPhone, the design would allow Apple to run more powerful processors in its smartphone that require better ventilation.

Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.