PLANS for GLASS iPhone have leaked online, giving fans what could be their first look at the iPhone 14 months ahead of its release.
An Apple patent recently submitted to the US government describes an “all-glass” device with a display that stretches across the front, back and edges.
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The “wrap-around” display would effectively allow the California tech titan to double the amount of screen space without changing the size of the phone.
It would allow users to multi-task. One side of the handset could be used for taking notes, for instance, while the other works like a conventional display.
The patent, unearthed by Patently Apple, was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and listed on November 16.
It details an iPhone encased in glass with touchscreen buttons on its edges. Designs for an all-glass Mac computer and Apple Watch are also described.
“Conventionally, glass has been used in such devices to provide a transparent window over a touchscreen on a front of the device,” the patent reads.
“Described herein, however, are electronic devices with enclosures that use glass to define multiple sides of the enclosure.
“For example, an enclosure that takes the general form of a rectangular prism may include a glass front, a glass back, and one or more glass sides.”
The device would look like it was formed from a single piece of glass to appear, as Apple puts it, “visually and tactilely seamless”.
This would be achieved by fusing six pieces of glass using techniques that reduce the number and visibility of seams.
The upcoming device may in fact have “no dedicated or visually distinguishable ‘front’ or ‘top’,” Apple adds.
It would still need an edge that houses the crucial charging port, as well as the speakers and other components.
Rumours that Apple is working on an all-glass iPhone stretch back years.
The firm has filed multiple patents for wraparound displays and appears to be gradually working towards a version to release to the public.
It’s not clear when – if ever – the phone will hit shelves. A patent doesn’t actually guarantee that a product will be made – so don’t get too excited.
Even if Apple doesn’t follow through, however, other companies are working on wraparound displays of their own.
In 2019, Chinese phone-maker Xiaomi unveiled a handset made almost entirely of screen that it said would hit shelves with a knee-wobbling £2,250 price tag.
The company later quietly scrapped the project, though it’s thought to be working on other phones with similar wraparound technology.
Samsung is also working on an all-screen handset of its own, if recent patents are to be believed.
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In other news, Apple has announced that it will let customers fix their own iPhones for the first time starting next year.
The UK is fighting an epidemic of hack attacks targeting consumers and businesses, according to officials.
NASA has slammed Russia after a missile it fired into one of its own satellites forced the space station to perform an emergency swerve.
And, a 75-year-old Brit has told of his anger after scammers on WhatsApp fooled him into sending them hundreds of pounds.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
