Apple Awarded Broad MacBook Air Patent For Wedge Design

The ultrabook movement might die before it even gets started. At CES this past January, manufacturers from Lenovo to Dell to Samsung championed the razor-thin computers as the next big thing. But a “broad” patent recently awarded to Apple might mean trouble for the swelling ultrabook market.

The patent in question, according to The Verge, covers the Air’s wedge design (as shown by the solid lines in the above picture), meaning that any ultrabook that falls into this category is fair game. And because the patent is so broad, Apple is within its rights to go after manufacturers that make ultrabooks that look sorta, kinda the same, but employ an overall design that clearly shows a noticeable difference.

MacBook tablet hybrid tipped by new Apple patent

A patent awarded to Apple on Wednesday points to one possible solution the company might use once it finally equips the first MacBook computer with tablet-like functionality. The unique design described in the new patent uses a clutch barrel pivoting component that serves two purposes, Patently Apple reports. First, it houses two embedded antennas that provide integrated cellular connectivity. More interestingly, however, its design allows the laptop’s display to be rotated and folded down on top of the keyboard to provide a touchscreen-only tablet configuration