Can anybody guess what this ‘Apple pebble’ system is for?

We reported final yr on an intriguing patent for an ‘Apple pebble’ system, which gave the impression to be supposed as some form of Imaginative and prescient Professional accent.

Now the corporate has utilized for a brand new patent on what seems to be one other tackle the tiny mysterious system …

Final yr’s ‘digital stone’ patent

The patent granted final yr was for a small system Apple known as a digital “stone.” This gave the impression to be one thing vaguely AirTag-like in measurement and form-factor, and supposed for use together with Imaginative and prescient Professional or some future VP-like system.

We famous on the time that the patent wording was intentionally obscure, making it robust to determine what precisely the corporate had in thoughts for the thing.

There have been varied clues as to potential makes use of. One among them was appearing as a bodily illustration of objects in a digital world, permitting them to persist between digital actuality classes, and to be handed off between completely different headsets and customers.

One other was appearing as a management, that we might flip or squeeze the stone in an effort to manipulate a digital object inside Imaginative and prescient Professional.

Right this moment’s patent software for an ‘Apple pebble’

In a continuation patent software printed at present, Apple expands on the concept – equipping the system with a show, voice-recognition capabilities, and extra.

The corporate once more describes so many alternative prospects it’s exhausting to determine how the corporate may very well plan to make use of it.

For instance, a handheld digital system [the size of a pebble or coin] could have a small, touch-sensitive show for gathering contact enter and offering visible output, a number of microphones for gathering voice enter, a number of audio system for offering audio output, and site monitoring circuitry for monitoring the placement of the hand-held digital and/or for monitoring the placement of exterior digital gadgets. If desired, the hand-held digital system could embrace haptic output gadgets for offering haptic output to a consumer.

The hand-held digital system could function a voice-controlled assistant, could function a stand-alone digital system working a number of software program functions (e.g., a climate software, a music streaming software, a calculator software, a calendar software, a cost software, and so forth.), could function a distant management for home items equivalent to audio system, lights, kitchen home equipment, and so forth., could function an anchor or visible marker in an augmented actuality or digital actuality system, could function an adjunct system for gathering enter and/or offering output related to an exterior digital system equivalent to a pair of headphones, a loudspeaker, a mobile phone, a pill laptop, a laptop computer laptop, a head-mounted system, and so forth., and/or could also be used for different features.

One illustration reveals a real-world distant management choice – the system switching on a flooring lamp – although it’s unclear why this might be higher than utilizing a Watch, iPhone, or Siri command to a HomePod. In one other drawing, it’s caught to a fridge, fridge-magnet type, and seems to be displaying some textual content.

And on this drawing, it’s, says Apple, “getting used as a marker in a digital actuality system in accordance with an embodiment.”

This Princess Leia-like one is similar concept in a video name.

Then there’s the espresso one in the primary picture on the prime. Try the patent textual content and drawings, and share your theories within the feedback …

Noticed by Patently Apple