The frustration with devices like a hypothetical iWatch—or a completely imaginary roll-up tablet (maybe a Vaio or something?)—is that they’re made up of parts, and sometimes those parts don’t exist quite yet. Or, in the case of Corning’s brilliantly flexible Willow glass, they exist, but no one knows quite how to use them yet. More »
During this afternoon’s Apple shareholder meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the company is “looking at new categories” for 2013 and believes it’s been “an incredible year of innovation.” Cook gave no additional information as to what these new categories are, but he followed that remark by adding “we don’t talk about them, but we’re looking at them.”
A number of rumored Apple products that stray away from what the company normally would produce have been circulating for a number of years, the two that seem to regularly come up are Apple’s plans to produce their own television set and the iWatch. Apple has kept relatively quiet in regards to both products, which a number of analysts have speculated both products are being considered. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Asked To Pay $330k/Day Because Of Facetime Patents, Apple iCloud Services Experiencing Ongoing Issues,
Rumors about the potential for an Apple iWatch continue to build, and adding fuel to the fire is a patent filing from Apple discovered by Apple Insider which shows off a curved, touchscreen display which could be worn on the wrist.
The U.S. Patent filing, originally submitted in August 2011, but updated as recently as today, starts off as follows:
A wearable video device arranged to be worn by an end-user, comprising: a flexible substrate having a flat state and a curled state; a flexible display disposed upon a first surface of the flexible substrate, wherein in the curled state the flexible substrate conforms to an appendage of the end-user, the flexible substrate further comprising: an electronic module in communication with the flexible display, the electronic module providing information to the display, at least a part of which is presented in real time for presentation by the flexible display; and a mechanism for detecting an end portion of the flexible display, the detection for adjusting the arrangement of information shown on the flexible display to match the size of the appendage the wearable video device is mounted on.
…or in layperson’s terms – a watch with a flexible touchscreen and flexible electronics.
The design would wrap around its wearer’s wrist, and automatically adjust the display UI based on their wrist size – pretty slick stuff. The capacitive touch display would be wrapped around a “bi-stable spring substrate,” which would allow the watch to conform to its wearer’s wrist, much like a slap bracelet. In addition curved screen and bracelet, the patent describes the inclusion of an inertial orientation sensor which would automatically reorient the display based on how the user is looking at it.
In order to keep the patent sufficiently broad, they don’t specify all of the potential use cases for the watch, but one example sounds like it could offer smartphone connectivity similar to that found in other smartwatches already on the market:
…the end user could respond to alerts sent from the portable electronic device and even direct the operations of the portable electronic device to an extent limited by the accessory device user interface. With a touch screen user input a user can accomplish a number of different tasks including adjusting the order of a current playlist, and reviewing a list of recent phone calls. A response to a current text message can even be managed given a simple virtual keyboard configuration across the face of the flexible display.
The patent also describes the potential for using a kinetic energy device as well as an ambient light energy collector to help keep its battery charged. It also envisions a possible configuration which would include bright edge-lighting for displaying alerts with increased peripheral visibility. They also hint that the device could support both 5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth connectivity, with Wi-Fi being used for content like video streaming, and Bluetooth for smaller data payloads.
While it’s always possible that Apple won’t bring any or all of these ideas to market, it clearly shows that there’s still innovative thinking going on within the walls at Apple, and that if they do release an iWatch, it won’t be like any other watch you’ve seen.
You can read the full patent application here.
[via Apple Insider]
By this point, it’s safe to say that Apple is at least considering the exploration of the hypothetical idea of testing a wearable iWatch-type product. So does this newly unearthed Apple patent, which shows off what amounts to a digital slap bracelet, shed new light on the company’s intentions? More »
Apple has a number of patents on wearable computing, but a new application spotted by AppleInsider blends some old and some new tech to provide a vision of what it might conceivably look like as a shipping product. The patent in question describes a wrist-mounted flexible screen, built on a support structure that closely resembles the “slap bracelets” children of the nineties will likely recall. When worn, the screen could provide an unbroken display that wraps all the way around the wearer’s wrist.
Apple even uses the slap bracelet directly as an example of how the device would work in its patent filing. Besides provoking nostalgia in people my age, the design would make it possible to use the device in both curled (worn) and flattened forms, acting as a different kind of display in either scenario. When on the wrist, Apple describes a sensor that would allow the watch to recognize where the end is, so that it can manage universal sizing while still wrapping a display around the wrist without any overlapping visuals.
The patent describes some software functionality, which begins to get at what an Apple iWatch might offer that others building smart watches can’t or don’t yet do. It could be used to “adjust the order of a current playlist,” review “a list of recent phone calls,” type out a message reply via a “simple virtual keyboard configuration across the face of the flexible display.” Apple even suggests using it as an input device for controlling and navigating apps like Maps. If you had trouble conceiving how an iWatch might actually revolutionize wearable computing, this patent’s description of features begins to answer that.
Apple’s patent describes making use of solar power and kinetic energy to help prolong battery life, and it includes provisions for a number of other ways to affix it to a user’s wrist, including snaps and velcro, meaning the slap bracelet look could give way to something much more in keeping with traditional watch design. But what’s most interesting is the functionality described in the patent: it shows how Apple, working with its own hardware and software in ways that third-party manufacturers aren’t able to could greatly extend the usefulness of a wrist-mounted, smartphone connected device.
The iWatch is rumored to be in production, with reports from Bloomberg, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal all surfacing recently. We’ve seen iWatch-related patents before, including ones that describe elements of this slap bracelet system, but this is the most complete patent to date and the timing feels more than coincidental as a result.
We’ve heard rumors that Apple could be developing an iWatch, rumors suggesting that the team working on the device is 100-man strong, with some speculating that the iWatch might be a sign of desperation from Apple to stay relevant. Well whatever the case is, it seems that a patent has been recently discovered by the folks at Apple Insider, revealing at back in August of 2011, Apple filed for a patent for an invention which seems to suggest that they might have thought about the possibility of an iWatch a couple of years ago. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iOS 6.1.3 Beta Addresses iPhone Passcode Security Exploit, iPad Mini 2 Rear Shell Leaked Photos Hint At Retina Display Addition [Rumor],
Apples and oranges watches. Today’s bumper pack of patent applications from Cupertino included this nugget, outlining a small flexible screen that’s paired with a “bi-stable spring.” In normal lexicon, we’re talking about one of those slap bracelets that go from completely straight to wrap-around in an instant. Interestingly enough, Apple isn’t the only tech company sniffing around these bracelets as a possible holster for their tech — Nokia mused on slightly similar notions back in March 2012.
This is an application, so most of what today’s filing tells us is certainly not set in stone, but new ideas include a “kinetic energy gathering component” within the band — like the trickle charge feature found on watches — to pump energy back into the device. One example embodiment of the idea includes a touchscreen interface that will allow music browsing, phone call reviews and even text input through a “simple virtual keyboard.” The concept also mentions AMOLED screen tech, as those deactivated (so, black) pixels would assist in eking out battery life in a device where space is definitely at a premium. The filing also suggests that the device could house an end-detection sensor, allowing the wearable to configure itself to each user, regardless of differing wrist measurements, and deactivate sections of the flexible display that aren’t on show. This particular application was made in August 2011 — a fair while before the recent increase in iWatch murmurings. As is the case with Apple’s patent contributions, however, we’ll wait to see whether the patent is granted and whether these ideas will ever crystallize into a genuine product. In the meantime, maybe it’s time to buy up some snap bracelets on eBay: they might just be making a comeback.
Source: USPTO
What do you think of news, or rather, rumors, of Apple’s supposed iWatch? I suppose if there is a company that could reinvent the wheel, most folks would place their bets on Apple, but with their recent stock price going south while rival’s Google breaks the $800 mark quietly without any fanfare, perhaps it is time to explore the possibility that Apple planted leak of the iWatch on purpose. Consider the facts – three major news organizations got the scoop within a space of a few days between each other, but the scoop is more or less empty rhetoric, without any concrete information concerning the iWatch revealed other than the fact that Emperor Palpatine, er, I mean, Apple is behind it.
Could it be a strategy by Cupertino to tell the world that they are working on a smart watch, since whispers of a similar device by Samsung has already hit the news in January itself? At least one analyst claims this was done “out of desperation” on Apple’s part to show the world that they do not depend solely on the iPad and iPhone to survive. We are not quite sure what to make of the 100-strong iWatch team, though.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Orbitsound Releases The M Series Soundbars With Bluetooth Connectivity, Razer Re-releases StarCraft 2 Peripherals ,
There’s no such thing as the Apple iWatch, and maybe there never will be. But if Cupertino does start selling futurustic Jetsons wrist wear, you need to prepare for one thing: looking like a jackass in public. Worth it? More »
So, a smartwatch that is being developed by Apple is no longer a secret, and some have even gone ahead by coining it to be the iWatch. Well, Bloomberg reports that Apple has actually assigned a team of approximately 100 product designers to work on a wristwatch-like device which could possibly perform its fair share of tasks which are currently handled by the iPhone and iPad. The team is said to have expanded in the past year alone, where it will include managers, marketing group executives, and software and hardware engineers who did have experience working on the iPhone and iPad before.
With at least 100 folks manning the iWatch ship, such a size would definitely suggest that Apple has moved beyond the experimentation phase in this smart timepiece’s development, don’t you think so? An analyst claimed that there would be far more folks who would not mind wearing an Apple watch compared to a pair of Google glasses – do you agree with that particularly bold statement or not?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Luci Says, “Let There Be Light!”, Muscle Suits make heavy lifting easier,
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
