Apple Granted Patent For All-Around Glass iPhone With Touch Edges, Rear Display
Image via USPTO
For years, Apple has been exploring the idea of iPhones with all-glass screens that wrap all the way to the back. Now, Patently Apple reports that the Cupertino tech giant has won a patent for one of these blueprints detailing all-glass enclosures for gadgets like the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac Pro tower.
In illustrations for a handheld device that’s clearly the iPhone, Apple envisions displays on the front and back, along with touchscreen controls on the edges. All this is in line with former design chief Jony Ive’s idea of a future iPhone essentially being “a single slab of glass,” as cited by 9to5Mac.
Image via USPTO
There are also compartments for speakers and microphones, and Apple also suggests introducing different textures on the model to distinguish input regions, MacRumors notes.
Of course, with practically every part of the iPhone being a touchscreen, the chances of butt-dialing someone are high. Apple suggests that to prevent accidents, it could adapt iOS to adjust the display based on how the phone is held or rotated.
Image via USPTO
Image via USPTO
In the event that the device needs a repair, Apple says technicians can reach its internals by removing its so-called “cap,” where a case holding internal hardware would slide out.
The filing explains Apple’s vision for an iPhone with “six-sided” glass in great detail but remains vague about how the technology would apply for other devices it’s considering, like the Apple Watch and Pro Tower.
Image via USPTO
Although Apple has indulged in this fantasy for several years now, most of the time, patents are filed for protection and little else. It’s not a certainty that we’ll see a real all-glass iPhone or Apple Watch one day, but fans will at least get a window view of the sleek design Ive had in mind.
Image via USPTO
[via 9to5Mac, Patently Apple, MacRumors, images via USPTO]
