Apple files patents for various kinds of devices and accessories in the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) every year. Although most of them do not end in the commercial market, Apple integrates some patented features into its products. So, if the Cupertino giant delivers on one of its recent patents, we could get an all-glass iPhone sometime in the future.
Apple detailed such an iPhone in its patent titled “Electronic device with glass enclosure” that was recently granted by the USPTO. It was initially spotted by Patently Apple and includes details about a smartphone with six-sided glass enclosures and casings.
The patent explains how glass could be curved, overlapped, folded, or tapered to develop an all-glass iPhone with space for components inside. The company also mentioned that the device could feature different textured glass surfaces to distinguish other regions from the input segment.
Apple also highlights how the internal components can be accessed, presumably for repairability purposes, via a window, or what Apple calls a “cap” on any side of the device. Furthermore, the patent images show how the software and UI elements on the device could dynamically adapt according to how a user is holding the smartphone in their hands.
Other than detailing an all-glass iPhone, Apple also highlighted the fact that how the technology can be expanded to its other products such as the Apple Watch, a cylindrical Mac Pro, or a Mac Pro tower.
So, if the company works on this project and makes it market-ready sometime in the future, we could see a foldable iPhone or an iPhone with an all-around-display glass design in the market. However, as it is still a patent, we do not expect the launch of such an Apple device anytime soon.
