Mini-projectors to be Embedded in Future iPad and iPhone?

According to a new Patently Apple finding, Apple has been granted a patent describing ways to integrate small projectors into future iOS devices. The patent shows a very advanced design, able to project high quality images, and interact with the end user via gestures, shadows and silhouettes detection– just like Microsoft’s Kinect.

The mini projectors, while more limited than their full size counterparts, would help professionals organize ad-hoc meetings and presentations, without the need to bring bulky equipment.

Today’s incredibly detailed patent application reveals how they’re working on pico-like projectors for iOS devices and how these projectors will work with a shared workspace in presentations. Apple’s patent even details how they’ll introduce advanced gesturing that will be able to interpret shadow and silhouette gesturing associated with presentations in a darkened environment. The level of detail associated with this patent would suggest that Apple’s development teams are moving full steam ahead on the projection system project which will further push the likes of Apple’s iPad into the enterprise.

As usual, this is nothing more than a patent, and the concept might never make it into iOS devices. One of the main hurdles Apple will need to overcome is battery life, as the batteries in iPads and iPhones do not hold nearly enough power to project high quality and high contrast pictures for more than a handful of minutes.