apple cinema display dock patent surfaces

The guys over at Gizmodo dug up this brand new patent filing from Apple, showing off another true innovation from the design masters at the company.

The patent application describes a modified Apple Cinema Display with a docking slot in the side for a portable computer (presumably a new, slimmed down MacBook). Specifically, they’re attempting to patent the idea that the computer would be concealed by the LCD monitor once docked.

It’s really a brilliantly simple design concept, and would eliminate the need for bulky docking stations on the desktop. The way things look in the diagrams, it looks like some progress will need to be made with the thickness of the LCD panel before we’ll see these in the market.

…but I want one NOW!