Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office back on June 28, 2011, the contents of which were just released today by the USPTO. As discussed on CNBC today, some of the revelations found in the patent filing will forever change the way we handle our iPhones and other Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) devices, though the technology may still be some years away from mainstream release.
“The technology itself may take awhile to come to market. There’s been a lot of talk for many years about the hype of flexible technology, flexible display technology, and integrating that into devices, but it’s been awhile since that’s really come to the market in a dynamic way that’s been a hit with the consumer, so I think that’s going to take some time before that really does come to fruition in the marketplace,” Allison+Partners senior vice president and head of digital, Jeremy Rosenberg said.
Along with the display will come some interesting new possibilities according to Rosenberg, including new ways to manage and access applications, less screen clutter, and improved noise cancellation. Perhaps the most interesting possibility of the new tech is in the realm of haptic screen feedback, by which the screen can actually change the way it feels to the touch, making it possible in some instances to manage applications without the need to look at the screen. Tests have also shown that such technology can greatly speed up touch typing.
Haptic feedback is already a part of some smartphones in the form of vibration, which is not nearly as intuitive as feedback from the screen itself. It was rumored for some time in fact that the iPhone 6 would include a haptic feedback screen, though that now appears not to be the case. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could also include the haptic technology on iOS-powered in-car displays, which can’t make use of the vibration feedback found in smartphones.
The potential of haptic screen feedback means Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could also consider making an all-screen device that provides one continual surface and larger screen for the user, while integrating the home and other buttons into the display itself.
Carl Icahn is the largest Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL) shareholder with over 52 million shares in the California tech company, through his hedge fund Icahn Capital LP.
Disclosure: none
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