Apple joins the foldable smartphone race with new patent
If the tech for the iPhone X's facial recognition is still a bit too advanced for you to grasp, we've got bad news: Apple's already brainstorming The Next Big Thing.
On Monday Fast Company reported that Apple received a patent for a foldable smartphone. The patent, which was filed for on Sept. 22, 2016, outlines an electronic device with "a flexible display" and the capacity to fold.
SEE ALSO:It looks like Samsung's foldable phone won't be coming anytime soonThough the concept might sound pretty advanced, it's certainly not the first time it's been discussed.
In September — just hours before Apple's iPhone 8 launch event — Samsung announced plans to drop a foldable smartphone in 2018. The proposed sketches looked pretty wild, but the feat is so daring that production plans have already been pushed back to 2019. ZTE also announced foldable smartphones in October, though it's presenting a far less impressive dual-screen device.
According to Apple's patent, the device's support layer "may be formed from shape memory alloy or amorphous metal and may have openings to facilitate bending." And while that soundscool, as Mashable Senior Tech Correspondent Ray Wong notes, there are serious factors like battery sustainability and overall aesthetic to take into consideration when creating a foldable device.
Earlier reports indicated that Apple's eventual bendable screen would be OLED and the company has previously obtained a patent for a screen that would retract into itself like a scroll, or Fruit Roll-Up. However, the latest patent describes a display that would bend along an axis, so who knowswhat could happen.
As for whether a future full of foldable phones is realistic? Only time will tell.
Mashable reached out to Apple for comment.
Featured Video For You
Samsung shows no mercy to Apple fans in new commercial
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
- Alcaraz vs. Van de Zandschulp 2024 livestream: Watch US Open for free
- Visa purchases $150,000 NFT
- Pyongyang's first snow of season leaves white wonderland [PHOTOS]
- Chevrolet recalls all Bolt EVs and EUVs
- Tesla Robotaxis aren't coming in August, it seems
- 21 Lost and Lonely Cemeteries
- CIA key official makes secret visit to Seoul
- 汉源文教先贤冯镇峦 沈黎训导 寒毡终老
- Top officials of US, China discuss North Korea
- Supercritical geothermal power: Limitless promise or impossible dream?
- England in better shape than 2018: Southgate
- Seoul prepares for every scenario on Kim's visit
- The heatless hair curling headband from 'Euphoria' is taking over TikTok. Does it work?
-
Instagram page of Koo Ho-in (Instagram)Koo Ho-in, the older brother of deceased K-pop star Goo Hara, ...[详细]
-
Chevy resurrected 'The Sopranos' for a Super Bowl commercial. The internet loved it.
The Sopranos already returned with the 2021 prequel film The Many Saints of Newark. But it made anot ...[详细] -
伴随着“双创”工作的推进,给市容市貌带来了显著改变。这不仅是看得见的环境卫生改变,更是老百姓生活观念潜移默化的转变。如今,随着网络购物的发展,市民在下单“买”的同时,也伴随着“丢”的困扰。据相关媒体报 ...[详细]
-
New 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 trailer drops at D23
The MandalorianSeason 3 teaser trailer has dropped and it's a battle of the Mandalorians. Debuted by ...[详细] -
[Herald Review] Tori Kelly thrills fans, hints her love for Korean artists
Tori Kelly performs during her first concert in Korea held at Seoul, Tuesday. (Live Nation Korea)Ame ...[详细] -
All the times Queen Elizabeth II was portrayed in movies
There are few who have been portrayed on the big screen more times than the late Queen Elizabeth II. ...[详细] -
Seoul prepares for every scenario on Kim's visit
People pose in front of a giant poster of President Moon Jae-in and Nort Korean leader Kim Jong-un n ...[详细] -
Marvel releases four 'Thor: Love and Thunder' deleted scenes
Thor: Love and Thunderis now streaming on Disney+, and if you can't get enough of the God of Thunder ...[详细] -
DNC 2024 speech: Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have a superpower no other Democrat has.
Every four years, Democrats meet for a convention and relearn that Michelle and Barack Obama are the ...[详细] -
Kudus lights up Qatar World Cup
DOHA:Mohammed Kudus announced himself on the global stage with his brace at the FIFA World Cup 2022 ...[详细]
- Webb telescope discovers 6 rogue worlds. They didn't form the way you'd expect.
- World's longest flexible fiber battery design could stretch a kilometer
- Trump is smearing Fauci over the China coronavirus travel ban.
- Trump is smearing Fauci over the China coronavirus travel ban.
- When will Trump and Harris debate? The presidential campaigns snipe over ABC News’ rules.
- All the times Queen Elizabeth II was portrayed in movies
- Slate News Quiz: coronavirus, Donald Trump, Pulitzer Prize.