Slashdot Mirror
Future iPhones Could Fold In Half (geek.com)
Apple has just received a patent, titled "electronic devices with carbon nanotube printing circuits," that suggests future iPhones may be foldable -- at least to some degree. Geek reports: Based on the language in the patent, it doesn't sound like Apple is specifically talking about a device that has a fully bendable display. It mentions one that can bend "along edges of touch sensors or displays." The carbon nanotube PCBs provide flexibility for some of the phone's internals, but not all of them. Those other parts will likely be covered by other patents if Apple is genuinely working on a seamless foldable device. The usual caveats apply here. For now, this is simply yet another patent padding Apple's already massive portfolio. Could they be planning to release an iPhone that folds in half? Definitely.
Now you can roll your phone up and shove it up your ass!
Current iPhones can already fold in half, if you push hard enough. Wake me up when we can unfold them back into a functional state.
See that "Preview" button?
That's why Apple will never produce a foldable phone... those filthy, uncouth users might choose to fold it in half, instantly doubling its thickness.
Log in or piss off.
This wouldn't be enough to make me buy an iOS device, but I have to admit it would make me a little jealous. I miss the compactness of my old flip phone. It seems phones have been getting smaller in stupid ways (e.g. by having ever-more-anemic batteries, as if I give a fuck about its thickness) instead of getting smaller in actually-convenient ways. Most phones, you can easily get 4-8 times as thick and have it be just as good (and probably gain something useful, like battery space) so folding for 2x thickness while reducing its biggest dimension, is a good move.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
There was a series from New Zealand called This is Not My Life and they had an interesting idea of a phone (though it probably showed up elsewhere too). Take a canister that you could wrap your hand around and make it slightly longer. From there the screen is pulled out. It's about the size of a man's hand. When you done with it then you just push it back into the canister part. It's been a while since I've watch the series so I forget all of the detail of what it could do. Basically an advanced smart phone that also lets you control your home environment.
It's also a pretty good show. They were supposed to make a second season but some company from the US bought the rights to the show and an American version was supposed to be made.
I used to get well over a week out of a charge on some of my old Motorola flip phones. Yes, there aren't too many cases where I can't charge my phone on a daily basis, but it was nice to not have to care about always plugging in your phone without having to worry about your battery life the next day.
Looks like people are making this out to be more then it really is. I assume the main purpose is to allow for devices that can tolerate repeated bending - such as leaving it in you back pocket when sitting down. The described patent would eliminate the "touch disease" that was reported with the iPhone 6.
Maybe they will add an external antennae!
Its the obvious solution to all those idiots who are holding it wrong.
I am patenting that...