Apple has been granted 38 patents recently according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. According to the patents, Apple has been working on a new landscape connector for the iPad including a new camera system. Other patented technologies include a compact iPod that never materialized in the market. As with other Apple patents, these technologies may find their way to future company products or they may not.

According to Patently Apple, Apple obtained three design patents regarding the previous iPhone. The patent also credited Steve Jobs as one its designers. Other design patents granted include a coil holder that is similar to a retail stand found on Apple Stores and a smart cover for the iPad.

In 2011, the late CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, already mentioned the iPad cover. However, the 2012 design is different in such a way that the iPad model also comes with a landscape connector port. There is also another supporting component, an iSight camera for the landscape mode. It appears Apple has included more supporting components to present a new iPad experience.

It is not clear yet if the coming iPad models will feature the design patents but it is possible. The release of the refreshed iPads will be later this year. Analysts predict that release should be around September giving Apple time to incorporate the design and technology just in case. The landscape connector for the iPad has shown up several times in IP Filings back in 2010 and 2011. Apple has yet to include it in the Apple series with the numerous patents filed related to it.

Apple credits the following people: Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ive, Daniel Coster, Bartley Andre, Richard Howarth, Daniele De luliis, Mathew Dean Rohrbach, Shin Nishibori, Duncan Kerr, Richard Howarth, Calvin Seid, Douglas Satzger, Eugene Whang, Christopher Stringer and Rico Zorkendorfer for the invention.

9to5Mac also reported that Apple may be including a split-screen or multitasking support in the iOS 8 for the iPad. This can allow users to open two iPad applications simultaneously. The new feature can also allow users to drag most types of content across applications.

Apple is expected to unveil the iOS 8 this June at the Worldwide Developers Conference.