Why Did Apple Patent A Vaporizer?

Apple Inc. AAPL filed a patent for a vaporizer, but according to CNN Money, it isn't quite clear why.

Apple's patent describes a "substance that is to be vaporized or sublimated into a vapor" but it doesn't detail what exactly the substance might be. The patent does outline plans for a temperature-regulated plate inside a chamber that heats up a substance to form a vapor.

The patent was filed in June of 2016, but was just released on Thursday.

CNN Money noted that many people use vapes to inhale nicotine or marijuana and in many cases it is used as a replacement for cigarettes. However, vaporizers are also common in the healthcare and agriculture segment, so Apple's eye on the prize is bigger than just personal use.

Or maybe Apple is looking to get into the marijuana business after all. Perhaps most important to consider is the fact that Apple merely filed for a patent and if history is any indication, Apple doesn't follow through on what it files.

Digital Trends noted that this isn't the first time Apple was linked with a vaping device. An Apple developer Mark Williams left the company where he worked on MacOS and co-created a top-of-the-line vaporizer called Firefly, which earned the title of the "iPhone of vaporizers."