For several years, there has been speculation that Apple would develop a terminal with a foldable screen, in the style of the famous Samsung Galaxy Fold and Flip. Today, flexible panels are no longer a novelty and, little by little, more brands have been adopting this technology (Motorola, Huawei, OPPO, etc.). Although its price does not yet accompany, the truth is that it would not be strange to see Apple experimenting with it in the near future. Or at least that is what its new patent suggests.
In fact, these patents would turn a device into a large input surface, even if it were folded up. If finally realized, it could revolutionize the way we interact with everyday technology.
What’s in the patent – will we see it on iPhone?
Apple is a company known for the high reliability of its devices and its innovations. The competition closely follows the bitten apple company to, in many cases, copy its steps. The acquisition of these patents demonstrates a growing interest in the foldable display market, currently dominated by Samsung handsets. With this investment, Apple is also protecting its research and development while gaining an edge over other companies that may be devising similar products.
Apple has a long history of acquiring patents to protect its intellectual property and control the market as much as possible. With foldable displays, something similar is happening. This one in particular details how layers of touch sensors can “overlap” the outer panels of a device. These sensors could be located under a layer of glass along the front, bottom and sides of the device. In short: everything would become a fully functional touch surface.
The truth is that the company has been betting on increasingly larger phones with hardly any external buttons. In fact, the latest rumors suggest that the next iPhone 15 will lack physical buttons in favor of a haptic system. With this patent, the device’s touch sensors could be used for everything: changing the volume, making calls, activating the camera and so on.
On the other hand, this system also has its drawbacks, such as its fragility. In addition, it would be necessary to rethink things such as the use of the much-used holsters, so as not to lose functionality. Be that as it may, there are still a few years to go before we can see this patent or something similar become a reality.
The future iPad with foldable screen
Although this patent may not become a reality in the near future, we do know that Apple has in mind to release a foldable product. In this case, according to the well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the first foldable device we will see within the Apple ecosystem will be the iPad. According to rumors, it would debut a new design and would be launched sometime in 2024.
This would represent a radical change in Apple’s strategy with the iPad, which would also feature carbon fiber. If so, the iPad would become even stronger and lighter compared to what Apple currently has on sale.
