Apple’s patent application 20130076612 has just appeared at the website of US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent application’s abstract reads: “A consumer electronic product includes at least a transparent housing and a flexible display assembly enclosed within the transparent housing. In the described embodiment, the flexible display assembly is configured to present visual content at any portion of the transparent housing.”.
Thus the handheld device, as shown in the image, would have a flexible screen that wraps around the device and it would have no physical buttons. So, all the operations or interactions with the device would be done through the touch screen or through gestures. .Other part of the patent describes two layers of flexible displays that would create a 3D visual effect. The display would also adjust itself by detecting the position and movement of the user’s face.
Again, having a patent is a long way from actually releasing a working prototype. Apple’s biggest competitor in the smartphone market, Samsung, has already showcased their flexible display technology at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. In this regard, Apple has to pick up the pace and integrate this latest patent as soon as possible in their next smartphone
