Apple Future Plans: Apple – Is It Planning For a Future of No Internet Connectivity?

Apple Future Plans: In today’s day and age, being connected to the Internet at all times is a must for many people. Obviously, this is something that all smartphone manufacturers, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), agree with. Although that may be the case, the Cupertino-based company was recently awarded a patent that brings a different side of connectivity to light.

Earlier today, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was awarded a patent, which can be seen it its entirety here, that would allow iTunes users to purchase media even when they are not connected to the internet. How cool would that be?

Just like every patent awarded to Apple, it is hard to say which ones the company is going to act on in the future and which ones it will ignore. That being said, having this sort of system available for development is something that likely excites the company.

For a better understanding of what an “offline purchasing system” would entail, let’s take a closer look at the patent abstract:

“This is directed to providing offline purchasing of media items using an electronic device. One or more media items that are not part of a user’s media library can be stored on an electronic device. When a user later wishes to play back one of the media items, but the device cannot connect to a communications network to provide payment information for purchasing the media items, the electronic device can use pre-paid credits that were purchased and stored by the device when a communications network was available to complete the purchase. By using pre-paid credits, the media store can be assured that the user has sufficient funds for the media item purchase.”

If you have ever used iTunes in the past, you know that you have to be logged in or connected to the internet to make your purchase and download the content. However, if Apple is able to successfully implement this type of system, this may not be an issue that you face in the future.

While this may not sound like a big deal, being that most people always have internet access on their device, there are definite situations, such as with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPod Touch users, where this could come in handy.

This patent was first filed for in 2010. There are four inventors named, including Joey Darragh, Taido Nakajima, Gloria Lin, and Tyler Mincey.

Check back here for more updates on Apple Future Plans.

DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.

Related ticker(s): Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

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