Apple's been awarded a patent that covers the distinctive 'wedge' design seen on its MacBook Air, meaning ultrabook makers could be in the legal firing line.
The Verge explains the new patent, which features drawings of the MacBook Air from every angle imaginable. On those diagrams, a dashed line indicates design nuances, but the Verge claims it's the solid lines that show what exactly the company is trying to protect.
In Apple's drawings, design details like the MacBook Air's rubber feet and sloped underbelly are illustrated with dashes, while the laptop's basic wedge-design is outlined with a solid line. The result is a rather broad patent for a doorstop-shaped machine.
It's no secret that rival ultrabooks from manufacturers such as Asus or HP bear a striking resemblance to Apple's effort -- the Asus Zenbook for instance has the same sloped sides, as does HP's recently unveiled Spectre XT, or LG's Z330.
There are certainly plenty of design differences between Apple's MacBook Air and those PCs, but if the Californian company did decide to get litigious, rival manufacturers could find their own wedge-shaped laptops in the firing line.
Apple has proved a ferocious legal foe when it comes to smart phones and tablets, taking Android manufacturers to courts all over the globe in numerous patent disputes, and claiming that Galaxy S3-maker Samsung 'slavishly' copied its own gadgets.
There are plenty of non-wedge shaped ultrabooks out there if you're shopping for something that looks a bit different -- point your peepers at the Toshiba Satellite Z830 for instance, or the new Dell Inspiron 14z or the Acer Aspire S3.
Apple, meanwhile, is expected to give its super-skinny laptop a refresh in a few days time. A retina display is tipped, but don't expect the wedge shape to go anywhere.
What do you think of the MacBook Air? Is it an overpriced hunk of aluminium? Or a sleek computer you'd happy sling in your satchel? Should Apple own exclusive rights to wedge-shaped laptops, or should other tech companies be allowed to craft similar machines? Opine in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
Image credit: The Verge
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Nerosa 8 June, 2012 17:27
This is ridiculous. Apple are blatantly just doing this so that they can get money from lawsuits where their laptops haven't sold because they are just too damn expensive. Patenting the hinges and the rubber feet? Apple might as well just patent laptops and sue every single laptop maker! The Macbook is an over-priced thing which no-one really needs anyway. I can get a Windows laptop that is a quarter of the price, yet can do exactly the same things. If you ask me, there is no future in Macbooks. No-one buys them.
anonymous 8 June, 2012 17:37
@Nerosa
Calm down, while I agree this patent application is a joke, the main issue here is with the American patent system which allows this sort of nonsense to slide.
As for no-one buying MacBooks, you are sorely mistaken, Apple's notebook line in addition to it's iOS devices is the reason it is so successful.
anonymous 8 June, 2012 20:02
@ nerosa
You don't understand it. They are patenting the wedge shape. The dotted lines are not patents on all hinges, feet and shapes. They are just guaranteeing that someone like Samsung will not change the foot shape on a wedge and claim it is a new design.
Daniel Rawr 8 June, 2012 20:38
This patent war crap is really pissing me off...
anonymous 8 June, 2012 22:40
Yeah, the hi-tech patent stuff has truly run amuck. This is equivalent to a car manufacturer getting a patent on having a sloped hood or having a round tail-light or ...
anonymous 9 June, 2012 09:40
Didn't Sony have a wedge shaped laptop back in '04?
anonymous 9 June, 2012 09:45
This could get really silly. Does the wedge shape have to be exactly the same dimensions or just any wedge shape? What a joke!!
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Carrie 9 June, 2012 12:59
The wedge patent is a joke and impossible to enforce. It's like having a patent on the first card design with 4 wheels and no one else can build a car with 4 wheels. Giving a patent for the wedge would show no credibility on the commission and their incompetence. Patents would become useless with patents on stupid ideas.
anonymous 9 June, 2012 19:26
The death of Apple can't come too soon. This is getting out of hand, patenting a shape that existed in Laptops before the Air is just Apple desperately trying to stifle competition.
anonymous 9 June, 2012 19:27
The death of Apple can't come too soon. This is getting out of hand, patenting a shape that existed in Laptops before the Air is just Apple desperately trying to stifle competition.
anonymous 9 June, 2012 19:27
The death of Apple can't come too soon. This is getting out of hand, patenting a shape that existed in Laptops before the Air is just Apple desperately trying to stifle competition.
anonymous 9 June, 2012 19:28
The death of Apple can't come too soon. This is getting out of hand, patenting a shape that existed in Laptops before the Air is just Apple desperately trying to stifle competition.
anonymous 9 June, 2012 19:28
The death of Apple can't come too soon. This is getting out of hand, patenting a shape that existed in Laptops before the Air is just Apple desperately trying to stifle competition.
anonymous 9 June, 2012 19:28
The death of Apple can't come too soon. This is getting out of hand, patenting a shape that existed in Laptops before the Air is just Apple desperately trying to stifle competition.
anonymous 9 June, 2012 21:02
Sony did have a wedge laptop prior to the air... The viao x505 back in '04. This is completely out of hand... We teach or kids no bullying in school then get back to angry birds, what are we really teaching them?
anonymous 10 June, 2012 00:09
Um, how is Apple's Air overpriced when its the cheapest ultrabook type laptop from any top-tier manufacturer? Acer? $1700. HP? Same. Dell? $1200. I mean Apple's is the cheapest and has been for several years now. I know PC guys get an AIr just to run Windows because its the cheapest best laptop for that price at that size.
anonymous 10 June, 2012 19:29
@Nerosa: "Patenting the hinges and the rubber feet?"
Apple is NOT patenting the hinges and rubber feet.
"I can get a Windows laptop that is a quarter of the price, yet can do exactly the same things. "
I'm not sure you can get a Windows laptop for £212, but even if you can, it sure as h*ll won't do "exactly the same things."
"...there is no future in Macbooks. No-one buys them."
Someone is buying them, Nerosa: They are--by far--the best selling notebook series in the world.
anonymous 10 June, 2012 19:36
@Anonymous: "Sony did have a wedge laptop prior to the air... The viao x505 back in '04"
The Sony Viao X505 series was NOT wedge-shaped. It had a short taper *on the bottom surface only* starting from the area under the last row of the keyboard to the front edge of the computer. CNET's review at the time has a good profile shot.
anonymous 11 June, 2012 19:32
I don;t think you people are reading properly. Apple has written the patent so that the rubber feet can be of ANY SHAPE, the rear hinge can be of ANY SHAPE and you STILL CAN BE SUED, just becasue you have thinner edges than you have a central thickness.
Is it just me or does this sound even more insane than the 'padlock' and 'icons' patent Apple did. I didnt think a patent so general and stupid could be claimed.
anonymous 11 June, 2012 19:34
Same guy as above^
To clarify, Apple is NOT patenting the Air's hinges and feet, its patenting hinges and feet FULL STOP!