Apple's Notebook-Tablet Hybrid Concept  

In July 2008, one of Apple's patents divulged a notebook-tablet hybrid. The patent titled "Application Programming Interfaces for Gesture Operations," stated that the "the laptop device 3300 can be converted into a tablet device as illustrated in FIG. 33B and FIG. 33C." This was illustrated in a series of three patents covering multi-touch gesturing, scrolling and Synchronization.  

It's conceivable that Apple could eventually decide to use the trademark acquired from AxioTron in its original form of TabletMac, rearrange it to be MacTablet or simply shelf the trademark for something more to their liking – be it iTablet or perhaps even the resurrected iBook – should they one day introduce a notebook-tablet hybrid.

Apple legal obviously saw that AxioTron's trademark could one day interfere with a future Apple trademark filing and acted preemptively. Apple originally ran into some minor problems with Cisco-owned iPhone years back and this move proves that Apple legal is trying to clear the way for Apple's yet-branded tablet in the works. 

Lastly, the traditional notion that Apple has only one tablet design in the pipeline is sadly premature. Just as with Apple's iPod line-up consisting of the iPod Shuffle, nano, Classic, touch and iPhone – This writer isn't convinced of the one-tablet-only thinking in the press today. The Notebook-Tablet combination, as noted in a 2008 Apple patent application above, is clearly another tablet design that Apple is seriously considering for the future.

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