Apple knows all too well that fans of the iPhone like to use attachable lenses like Olloclip to take DSLR-quality photos with the 8-megapixel shooter. Now, the company has been granted a patent for a bayonet-style mount for attachable lenses.
The bayonet mount would theoretically be placed on the back of the iPhone around the camera. iPhone users could then attach different camera lenses to the bayonet mount for a more secure connection. Bayonet mounts are common on most digital cameras and other gadgets. In order to secure an attachment to your device using a bayonet mount, you simply push and twist until the two parts are connected. To unlock the two pieces, you just twist off one piece in the opposite direction.
Although the bayonet mount is among the most simple of connections out there, the patent states that Apple believes it to be superior to the magnetic connection, which is currently used to attach the Olloclip lens to the iPhone. Although the bayonet mount should be more secure, it would stick out from the back of your iPhone a little. Bayonet mounts aren't exactly subtle and since obvious and somewhat ugly attachments aren't really Apple's style, it doesn't seem all too likely that Apple will use this patented technology on the iPhone 6.
Regardless, Apple now has the "Bayonet attachment mechanisms" patent on file with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Right now, super high-resolution smartphone cameras are all the rage, so it's no surprise that Apple wants to patent camera-related technology now before everyone else does. So far, the iPhone camera has stayed stubbornly at 8-megapixels, though iPhone 6 rumors hint that a 10-megapixel camera or greater might be on the way soon.
iPhone competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8, feature significantly higher-resolution cameras than the iPhone 5S. In fact, when you compare the 5S' 8-megapixel camera to the Nokia Lumia 1020's 41-megapixel camera and the Oppo Find 7's 13-megapixel camera, which can take 50-megapixel stills, it's just no competition.
However, attachable lenses like the Olloclip make all the difference in the world when you're taking macro shots, fish eyes or wide angle photos.
