Last year Apple submitted a proposal to the US Patent Office for a new type of packaging for products, namely iPhones and iPads. This new and smart way of packaging can help customers with the basic setup and personalization of a new device, even during the purchase in the store. All this without the customer's new product leaving the original box. However, it is a matter of time when, and if at all, we will see this innovation in practice and on store shelves, as there is no current news about this idea moving closer to production.
The main goal of this idea is to simplify and speed up the initial setup and personalization of the product. Whether it is transferring specific settings, photos, contacts or other system data. This process should work via wireless data transfer (most likely Bluetooth). The initiation of this process will take place on the current device, a sensor (“Tap here”) will be placed on the new (still packaged) product to activate communication. Both devices will pair and the gradual transfer of all selected data will begin. In the end, everything should work in the same way as we restore a device from a backup today, i.e., the complete settings and all data from the old device will be transferred to the new device. In the image below you can see how the whole process should work according to AppThe patent itself does not cover a specific device (although the images show an iPad and iPhone), because Apple does not want to limit the use too much during possible deployment in practice. More specifically Apple shows usage for smartphonesone, laptop, desktop, tablet, wearable device (Apple Watch), portable multimedia player, wireless speaker and more.
However, this method of packaging would raise certain problems that would have to be dealt with Apple settle. First of all, it would be necessary to ensure that the device is charged so that the data transfer can be used at all. This can be a very tricky nut to crack, as even fully charged devices lose battery charge capacity over time. Even in the off state. Another problem will be solving the communication with the person who transmits the data. How will it know that a new device is ready to sync? How will he know that everything is done? These are some of the many questions that can be critical for the entire project, as it is first necessary to resolve all these ambiguities, and only then comes the consideration of the overall implementation and its costs. So we will see in the coming years if it will be Apple able to solve all the technical aspects of this project, and the new "smart packaging" nakonec will arrive on store shelves.
Source: patentlyapple
