TOKYO, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 20: An iPhone 11 Pro is displayed in the Apple Marunouchi store on ... [+]
As Samsung, Motorola and Huawei battle it out for foldable phone supremacy, Apple may be heading in a different direction for its future iPhones according to a recently published patent.
Spotted by Apple Insider, the document details an almost all glass device. The front, sides and back of the device are made from glass and offer a range of input additional options whilst also acting as secondary displays.
"Glass backs and glass sides may be transparent, allowing the electronic device to include additional displays that are viewable through the sides and/or the back.
"Moreover, the side- and back-viewable displays may be made touch and/or force sensitive using touch- and/or force-sensing systems, effectively turning the side and back surfaces into additional input devices or surfaces with which a user may interact to control the electronic device." The patent explains.
This very much sounds like the functional slabs of glass manufacturers were discussing a few years ago, which, at the time, were talked about as the future of smartphones alongside foldable handsets.
Foldable phones became the reality, but the transparent smartphone that Iron Man owns never made it to the shelves. Non-transparent circuitry, chips and other components are the reason for that - but Apple’s patent describes a device which could be the first step on that futuristic ladder.
The patent details a phone that has multiple displays and touch/force sensitive inputs. The phone can be operated from either side of the handset - front or back - and smaller areas such as the sides could display limited information - such as toggling settings (which is what Samsung envisioned for its 2014 Note Edge line).
This is only a patent, of course, so the device may never become a reality. It’s also a wildly ambitious concept that dramatically deviates from Apple’s current lineup, which makes a release seem even less likely.
Apple would also have a huge engineering task on its hands building a phone with touch sensitivity all over the device. Accidental touches on handsets with curved screens - even with palm rejection technology - are a constant source of frustration, so a device that’s all display would amplify those issues. Although, you can usually bet on Apple to find solutions to awkward problems before it releases a device.
What’s interesting is that very few concrete stories about Apple’s next generation iPhone have surfaced, whether its a foldable device or an all-glass handset - as detailed in this patent - is still largely unknown. Other patents and reports have suggested a possible foldable iPad with a crease-free screen, which seems like the most logical way for the Cupertino-based company to enter into the foldable market.
But so little information about what comes after the current generation of iPhones - no leaks, images or credible reports - suggests Apple may be sticking with its current form factor for a while.
