Apple May Use Bayonet Mounts For Swappable Camera Lenses For iPhone 6

Apple has been granted a patent by the USPTO for interchangeable lenses for a mobile device, meaning it’s possible future iPhones will have the built-in ability to swap out one lens, say a macro for close-ups, for another, like a wide-angle for sweeping landscapes.

As noted in Apple's U.S. Patent No. 8,687,299 for "Bayonet attachment mechanisms," the bayonet mount is both utile and aesthetically pleasing, two attributes paramount in any Apple product design. The mount correctly aligns and securely attaches lenses to a device body while keeping a relatively inconspicuous profile when not in use.

techcrunch.com

You push and then twist one part into the other so they lock together. You then simply twist one part in the opposite direction to unlock it. As expressed in the patent filing, Apple sees bayonet mounts as superior to other types of connections, such as magnetic coupling, which are not as secure.

The one possible drawback to a bayonet mount is that such a mount would protrude slightly from the rear body of the phone. The fixed camera lenses on most mobile devices typically are flush with the device. But that may be a small price to pay for the ability to securely attach a variety of lenses to the phone.

venturebeat.com

In the case of just such a "drop event," Apple has proposed a way to automatically decouple the phone and the lens to reduce the possibilty of damage to the phone itself.

Of course, other manufacturers already offer products to stick a camera lens on your phone. But assuming Apple's idea ever hits the real world, a bayonet-mounted invention could provide an easier and more secure way of attaching a lens.

Recent supposed leaked photos from inside Foxconn show an iPhone with a raised camera protruding slightly from the back of the device, and the drawings from the patent also show such a design.

techcrunch.com

Of course, the provenance of these images is still sketchy at best, and there are other reasons for a raised camera (devices thickness) so it’s far too early to read anything into that.

macrumors.com