New Apple iPad to feature smart cover for opening emails and alerts

The next Apple iPad is going to be released with a smart cover that is complete with secondary panels. This new information was confirmed when the patent was very recently granted to the Cupertino-based tech giant.

The USPTO, or United States Patent and Trademark Office, had reportedly given a patent to Apple for a feature that will be part of its next iPad device. This new feature - the smart cover - will allow its users to perform certain tasks, such as opening emails, reading notification alerts, and others - even if the unit is being used, according to Tech Times.

This smart cover will be making the tablet even more useful, especially with regards to the iPad's accessories. Based on its look, it would appear that the cover is not designed differently from the other covers that exist today, but it does come with quite a few special panels for accessing widgets.

Widgets and new notifications can be displayed on the iPad's smart cover, which means that users do not have to open the device just to do simple tasks on the device. Moreover, it can be utilized as a kickstand and can even be set to work as a countdown timer. At the beginning of the countdown, the smart cover will light up, and will gradually become dimmer and dimemr as the timer nears its stopping point.

It must be noted, however, that this is not the first time for a smart cover to be launched to the tech market. HTC has already gone ahead with its Dot View covers, which also display notifications. Samsung also has its S View cover, which permits its users to access certain parts of the unit's screen, even when a huge part of the screen remains closed.

This new smart cover just might make the next Apple iPad extra special. However, Business Insider has reported that a lot of the products being described in the company's patent applications do not make it to the market. For those that do, the products have been oftentimes tweaked and are not the same ones initially filed by Apple.

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