Apple has shown interest in building a new universal power adapter compatible with different DC voltage levels, allowing portable devices like a MacBook Pro, iPhone and iPad to be charged at the same time with just one wall plug.



From Apple Insider:

The proposed invention was revealed this week in a new Apple patent application filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and discovered by AppleInsider. The filing, entitled "Multi-Output Power Supply," notes that most commercially available adapters do not include multiple outputs for supplying different DC voltage levels.

"As such, users may often purchase a device-specific adapter for powering a device," it states. "However, this requires that the user carry a separate adapter for each device, which can be cumbersome when a user is traveling, as many users forget to bring all of the associated adapters required for various devices."

  Apple exploring universal power adapter to simultaneously charge MacBook, iPhone