Apple filed a patent, approved on Thursday, for something new. Something very, very interesting. Today smart phones are built with one forward-facing screen, but tomorrow Apple may be making a "device" where information is displayed on every inch of the surface, according to the patent filing.
The colorfully named "electronic device with wrap around display" is "a consumer electronic product includes at least a transparent housing and a flexible display assembly enclosed within the transparent housing. In the described embodiment, the flexible display assembly is configured to present visual content at any portion of the transparent housing."
Regarding the above image, the patent filing notes, "Notice how the wrap around display substantially increases the available display area that can be used for display of icons, data, images, video and such."
A malleable, flexible device meant to be rolled up and stuffed within a transparent display, projecting images onto that display sounds like a futuristic iPhone. While Apple's written intentions in the patent regard opening up the surface area of current technologies for maximum display and interaction, there's more potential to this technology than that.
First off, the device is built as separate from the display, which suggests it can be transferred into a newer or different kind of display assuming compatibility - sort of like changing screen sizes for a movie projector. Only here, if you let your imagination run wild, maybe you're switching from an iPhone to an iWatch without losing any data at all. Displays become advanced covers and users may not have to purchase an entirely new phone to upgrade their interface experience. You may start finding transparent displays at mall stands someday if the technology ever comes into fruition.
Before jumping to conclusions, it's worth noting that tech companies as large and resourceful as Apple file patents quite frequently for the sake of protecting potential future ideas. Many of these ideas never come to fruition, but we're hoping this one does.
Of course, then there's the fact that rolls up, which suggests this may be a tricky way to get in a patent for a new iWatch design, the long-rumored and yet to be revealed technology from Apple. With Google's Glass eyewear on its way and Apple filing stuff like this, smart phones may actually look archaic in a couple of years.
