Apple engineers dreamed up an iPhone case that’s also a stand and a handle. And maybe a keyboard. It’s surprisingly simple, but also a dramatic departure from typical cases.
And it’s possible the designers see this as more than an add on. They seem to be proposing that handsets and tablets have this case built in.
Imagine being able to touch your iPad or iPhone screen and feeling like you’re touching metal, wood, or fur — despite the fact it’s just a flat glass display. Impossible, surely? Not if a new haptic feedback patent Apple has filed comes to pass.
This haptic feedback technology could complete the sensory AR experience Apple is aiming for. Slap on some AirPods and summon up some ARKit visuals, and you’d have truly immersive augmented reality.
A next-generation Apple Pencil could have a built-in touchscreen. And it’s apparently an actual improvement, not just something bolted on to make it cost more. The display would let the user know what color they’re about to draw with.
Apple engineers put considerable thought into a “wearable electronic ring computing device” small enough to put on a finger.
The proposed smart ring would have a touchscreen and work closely with another computer, often acting as an input device for it.
Apple invented an on-screen haptic keyboard with virtual keys that simulate movement, which should make typing a better experience.
A laptop’s hardware keyboard is great for text entry but is in the way when reading websites, watching movies, playing games, etc. That’s why Apple is exploring options for getting rid of the keyboard while maintaining the ease of typing offered by a physical keyboard.
A computer tracking where its user is looking isn’t that complicated, but eye tracking two people simultaneously is more challenging. Apple worked out a method, and sees the potential for games, security and even surgery.
Apple was granted the equivalent of almost six patents per day in 2018, racking up more than 2,000 over the year.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ranks Apple No. 11 on a list of companies awarded the greatest number of patents. So, who beat Apple at the patent game in 2018?
Apple wants another shot at beating so called patent troll VirnetX in court.
The Cupertino company was previously ordered to pay $439 million for infringing on two of VirnetX’s patents with its FaceTime technology. However, an appeals court has since found many of VirnetX’s patents to be unpatentable.
Apple is exploring ways to build augmented reality into Apple Maps. Rather than top-down views of roads and intersections, the company is considering overlaying route information onto live views of the road ahead of the car.
Apple Maps has always lagged behind Google Maps. Building in AR could help it jump ahead.
The question of whether Apple is building a physical Apple Car or just a software platform hasn’t been confirmed either way.
But there are a few hints, such as the fact that Apple was just granted a patent for a special suspension system for a car. Whether that part of the project continues remains to be seen.
Apple is considering a MacBook with two displays, with the second screen acting as a keyboard. By necessity, iPads already employ on-screen keyboards but these lack tactile feedback. Apple is looking for ways to make these virtual keys move when they’re typed on.
The company has been pursuing this project for years, as demonstrated by a patent it just received.
3oogle is taking the folding phone concept to the extreme. It dreamed up a concept design reminiscent of a book with several pages, each of which is a flexible display.
Apple is looking for better options for transmitting data than wires or wireless connections. One possibility mixes the two: sending high-speed data down waveguides.
The result would something capable of transferring data much more quickly than a wire and without requiring a port on the iPhone.
It seems inevitable that a camera will eventually find its way onto the Apple Watch, the only question is ‘how’? The USPTO awarded a new patent this week that reveals one pretty novel idea Apple has come up with that would allow the Apple Watch camera to be reversible.
It doesn’t look very sleek, but it could be pretty useful:
Microsoft proposes combining two very different peripherals. It dreamed up a tablet stylus that when not in use wraps around the user’s ear to become a wireless headset.
Is there a point to such a stylus? It’s debatable.
As part of its Project Titan initiative, Apple has invented some smart tech for improving detection of road signs and other vehicles on the road in low visibility situations.
This could ramp up safety in situations such as an autonomous Apple Car driving in foggy, snowy, low light or otherwise hard-to-see situations.
The Apple Pencil is used for drawing and paining in an iPad, but Apple is considering an alternate version that’s a more literal interpretation of a paintbrush.
Apple’s battle with Qualcomm is a meeting of two tech titans — and the monetary amounts involved reflect that.
According to a new report from the Financial Times, the amount of money at sake dwarfs any previous IP or antitrust case. Apple and four companies in its supply chain are seeking $30 billion in damages from Qualcomm. Since Qualcomm generated “just” $5.7 billion in 2016, the fallout could be absolutely enormous.
Apple is working to make iPhones and iPad screens a bit less scratchable. That’s according to a recently filed patent application, describing a new “Nanoparticle Protective Coatings” invented by Cupertino engineers.
It refers to a protective coating that, Apple claims, will stop iOS devices from scratching or suffering display fractures from drops.
Apple is exploring charging cables that attach to its devices with magnets. This is highly reminiscent of its discontinued MagSafe system.
Previously, this was a great way to keep MacBooks from being accidentally damaged but Apple stopped using it during the company’s transition to USB-C.
Future iPhones and Apple Watches could pack “smell recognition capabilities,” based on some new patent filings submitted by Apple.
The iPhone-maker has been researching ways to detect air pollution and other dangerous chemicals with tiny sensors that could be integrated into its products. In the new patents, Apple describes how it could use multiple sensors to detect things like spoiled food, body odor and maybe even blood sugar levels.
Crowding a group of people into a selfie can be challenging. Seems someone always ends up halfway out of the picture. Apple has a solution: it’s developing a way to automatically combine multiple images into a group selfie.
This could become a part of iOS 13 this fall, perhaps as a new feature in the iPhone XI.
The iPhone makes a pretty nice picture underwater. Whether it’s with a 6s in a waterproof case or the latest submersible iPhone XS, you can record an image that rivals any picture produced with a dedicated underwater camera.
But only in a limited range of conditions and with a little luck.
Now, Apple believes it can improve future iPhone cameras to automatically sense when a picture is being made underwater and adjust according to light, depth and the degree of murkiness.
Around 20 members of the Lighthouse team are now working at Apple, according to a new report.
The hires, which include two company co-founders, come after Apple acquired a bunch of Lighthouse’s home security patents earlier this month. An email sent to customers this week requested permission to transfer security camera data with Apple.
The Face ID biometric security system is already extremely accurate but Apple wants to make it even more safe. The company has come up with a method for telling the difference between two people who are almost identical because they’re closely related.
The system would also prevent unlocking iPhone and iPad devices with 3D masks.
