Apple is still working on wraparound OLED screens, according to new patent application
An all-around iPhone screen? Maybe it's not so far-fetched
The iPhone’s screen has grown and improved in resolution and quality between the original model and last year’s iPhone 6s, but the shape has remained the same even as Samsung has embraced curved displays.
However, Apple might be planning something dramatic for a future model: a seamless, wraparound screen that covers the front, back, and sides in one harmonious image. Apple was granted a patent back in 2014 for such a concept, and now a newly posted United States patent application (via AppleInsider) shows that the company is still exploring its wraparound options.
As the illustration above clearly shows, that’s not what an iPhone looks like – not now, at least. But it’s a pocketable device with a headphone port and buttons on the top, and the application refers to voice, touch, and accelerometer input, which indicate it might be used for a phone. That said, the application does show other possible shapes and designs, and Apple isn’t necessarily bound to make something that looks like a disposable lighter with top buttons.
The "Electronic Device with Wrapped Display" filing is for a "hollow display cover structure," and notes that sapphire could be used to protect and reinforce the flexible screen beneath. The earlier patent from 2014 suggested the use of multiple cameras beneath transparent glass, which would track your face and display content on the appropriate side, but it’s unclear whether this new application is meant to complement the previous one or take on a different role.
Ultimately, we’re not expecting a hugely dramatic shift in iPhone design anytime soon, even if this year’s expected iPhone 7 does drop the headphone jack – as has been reported from multiple sources.
Still, there are whispers that Apple will switch to OLED tech for the iPhone 8 in a couple years’ time, and even if these ideas don’t ultimately make it to consumers in the form suggested, the company is always looking for the next big thing – and trying to secure its advances along the way.
[Source: USPTO via AppleInsider]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
