One of the trademark designs on every single MacBook is the magnetic power connector a.k.a. the MagSafe. Apple's just been granted a patent that will allow it to build future iPads and iPhones with the same trip-proof charging cables. Hurray!
What the MagSafe does (for those unfamiliar with it) best is prevent accidents. Say, you trip over a cable attached to your laptop. A normal power cord would take the entire laptop with it. MacBooks with MagSafes would gently break away the cord, without yanking the computer with it.
It also helps that a MagSafe is much easier to connect and disconnect because it does so with magnets. It's so easy a six-month-old baby can do it.
Honestly, we're surprised that Apple hasn't implemented a MagSafe into its iPhones and iPads earlier. The 30-pin cable and connector are getting a little old and preventing Apple from building even thinner devices, due to physical component constraints (you can't go thinner than a 3.5mm headphone jack either). A Magsafe could help significantly taper one end of an iOS device's back.
While a MagSafe is almost assuredly in the works for future iOS products, it's not likely it'll make it into the iPhone 5. Heck, maybe not even the iPhone 6. Ditching its 30-pin connector will no doubt upset loyalists, but the company's never been shy at dumping technology that it's deemed outdated (USB flash drives, etc.).
Via PatentlyApple
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