Wired
Apple revealed on February 20 local time that it had patented the iPhone, which had a glass display on all six devices.
Visually and tactilely seamless device
A patent entitled “Electronic Device with Glass Enclosure” details the iPhone, whose top, bottom, left, right, front and back are all made of glass.
“In the past, glass has been used as a transparent window (a section of the display screen) on a touch screen on the surface of the device,” the patent states. “The patented device uses glass on multiple sides of the housing, which feels visually and tactilely seamless, and can be made of a single piece of glass It may look like it’s done. ”
Are many additional features feasible?
Glass can be functional, not just for design.
“A multi-sided glass enclosure may provide many additional features not possible with traditional enclosures. For example, if the back and sides of the glass are transparent, If the display that can be viewed from the side and the back supports touch sensitivity and pressure sensitivity, you can also input from the side and back of the device and control the device. “
This suggests that physical mute switches, sleep / wake buttons, and volume controls may be available in the touch-sensitive area. If the iPhone supports pressure sensitivity, it might be possible to transfer calls to voicemail just by holding the device.
It also states that if the side of the device supports touch sensitivity, a ribbon-shaped app icon may be displayed.
Although Apple doesn’t mean that we’re actually developing technology, it’s possible that the iPhone will adopt a patent-like design in the future.
However, just as a folding smartphone takes time to penetrate, a new shape of a mobile device may take a certain amount of time for users to get used to.
Source: Apple / USPTO via AppleInsider
(lexi)
Source: iPhone Mania