“It’s a notable development in the wake of Samsung’s announcement last month that the company is planning to release a similar device in its Galaxy line of smartphones early next year.”
Apple has been granted a patent for a foldable iPhone.
As Patently Apple reports
, news of the patent application arrived at the start of this year. The patent outlines a device with a flexible display allowing to be folding in half, somewhat in the shape of a wallet.
It’s a notable development in the wake of Samsung’s announcement last month that the company is planning to release a similar device in its Galaxy line of smartphones early next year. That device isn’t thought to be one of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy phones, but at the right price it could find a market niche from which its arch-rival Apple is missing.
Does Apple’s patent suggest that Apple is aiming to compete in this area, too? Probably not. Like pretty much all of Apple’s patent filings, it doesn’t indicate anything more than that the company has shown at least some interest in exploring the technology concerned. But given that its resources appear to be focused on meeting demand for the iPhone X, and possibly bringing its infrared facial recognition technology to next year’s lineup of devices, a foray into foldable tech may not be in the cards.
The foldable iPhone patent was granted along with 50 others, including patents for a magnetic iPad stand, a system for sensing fingers and hands hovering over a device display, and AirPod earbuds equipped with biometric sensors that can measure galvanic skin response and cardiac signals.
Source: Patently Apple
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