“Apple has been examining various ways of protecting devices such as the iPhone when they are accidentally dropped or knocked off a counter or table,” Sky News reports.
“It has now emerged that Apple applied to the US Patent & Trademark Office offering several potential solutions to protect hardware such as smartphones, cameras, laptops and tablets,” Sky News reports. “The key to protecting a device like an iPhone is to use a sensor or gyroscope system to detect a change in its orientation – for example when it has been dropped and is in ‘freefall.’ The processor, having received a warning message, would work out which part of the phone is likely to hit the ground.”
Sky News reports, “It would then alter the way the phone falls, for example by ejecting the battery and shifting the centre of gravity, to make sensitive areas like the screen land the right way up and avoid damage.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Note to skydivers: Disable in Settings before disembarking plane.
Related article:
Apple patent application describes some way-out ways to protect devices during accidental drops – March 21, 2013
you guys are so late to the news you remind of the NBC Olympics.
This is in response to the Nokia president. And by the way, check out the editorial at Apple Insider today. It really sticks it to Google. It looks as though Apple’s PR team is finally doing something. The article is long overdue. As is action and reaction buy Apples PR squad. But it looks like they finally woke up. It’s beautiful.
Flawgic.
Not enough though.
Apple needs to fend off more and educated seriously the simplicity and beauty of iOS in a similar manner as it did with PC Guy vs MAC Guy commercials … showing the capabilities and ease of use – and why iOS is better.
Yes, they need to kick ass. And I don’t know what’s holding them back? They are clearly in a street fight now.
That article has been on Daniel’s site since the 9th. Wonder why AI is posting it now.
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2013/03/09/googles-android-powered-by-remarkable-new-flexibly-adaptive-logic/
K. It was just new to me. Don’t spend an awful lot of time checking Apple sites. But I thought it was a well-written article. There needs to be more.
‘As is action and reaction buy Apples PR squad.’
By!
Dictation
iParachute?
“It would then alter the way the phone falls”
very very cool – interesting
So if you tie a piece of buttered toast to an iPhone, do you get a perpetual motion machine?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttered_cat_paradox
are they serious? patent for damage from dropping? there is no device perfectly to be intact if they don’t use for military. so apple will sue if someone will use similar design or idea on preventing drop? I think that apple cries out really loud, and desperate. pathetic.
If Edward knew English (Translation provided by Correctu Services.):
Are they serious? A patent for protecting a device from the damage of dropping it? There is no device that will be perfectly intact when dropped unless it made for the military! So Apple will sue someone who uses similar designs or ideas that prevent damages from a drop? I think that Apple cries out real loud and desperate; They’re pathetic!
*Translated views and opinions aren’t representative of “Correctu”, nor “Correctu Services”.
edward is from korea and works for samdung pr. Troll!!
MacDailyNews Take: Note to skydivers: Disable in Settings before disembarking plane.
Tongue in cheek I realize, but actually not true. “Weightlessness” is only achieved when your acceleration matches that of the space-time around you. (Einsteinian physics) A skydiver quickly achieves “terminal velocity” (when the force of the wind equals the downward force of gravity (at ~120mph)) and the wind supports him (at zero acceleration)
So the net result is phone would only try to “orient itself” for the first couple seconds. You could achieve the same effect, and duration on many theme park rides.
Or it could just order a new iPhone on the way down. Then Apple could start shipping you the new one even before the old one hits the ground.
Or perhaps it could “scream” on its way down.
This is perhaps not so farfetched as it may sound. Have a look at the cool app ‘cycloramic’ that will rotate your iPhone around its axis while it takes a panorama photo of the surroundings.
It has been established that my iPhone is free falling, so the gyro sends a message to eject the battery.
The battery then sends back a message asking for a miniature screwdriver to undo the tiny screws before the battery can be removed.
Alternatively it could e-mail Apple directly for a service technician to come along and remove the battery before it hits the ground.
Sounds like a very cunning plan – what could possibly go wrong with that ?
Ah ha! The new third world iPhone has a removable battery. News at 11:00.
WATER PROOF would sell a lot of phones.
Alternate solution… strap iPhone to kitten.
“eject the battery and shifting the centre of gravity…” So iPhone 6 will have removable battery?
It figures that an iOS device based on Mac OS X, an OS that is named after big cats, would figure out how to get the device to ‘land like a cat’?
Accidently dropped my LG Spectrum 2 from a height of about 6 feet. It hit the sink and then the bathroom floor and slid about 2 feet……not a scratch.