“A belated US Patent via an Australian filing mysteriously surfaced this month revealing a stunning nano-phone concept in development at Apple,” Jack Purcher reports for MacNN.
“The design involves a very sophisticated yet complicated dual-surface user interface. The full face-side of this device will be nothing more than a display, much like the iPhone is today, while the back-side will be primarily dominated by a force-sensitive touch based surface. Your fingers, which act as a cursor, control the face-side UI by the back-side etched controls,” Purcher reports.
“The dramatic design will offer users a variety of interfaces or modes to work with including one for a phone, text messaging, a traditional iPod, a camera mode and more. The design may also, according to Apple, simply offer consumers with a dual-sided display option in lieu of a force sensitive controller surface,” Purcher reports.
“On one hand, the design appears to be nothing shy of being revolutionary once again. On the other, the concept seems to be overly complicated. I’m sure that once we see it, it’ll all make sense. Yet until that time it arrives, I think that Apple’s design could be hotly debated,” Purcher writes.
Much more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
After reading this, I’m just not going to pay attention until the device is imminent.
They say it’s in development as if Apple are actually making this in preparation for a release.
It seems to constantly amaze certain “journalists” that Apple, and indeed other tech companies are thinking of new things all the time, some get made, some don’t, some get merged into other devices and some get put aside until technology catches up and makes them worth reconsidering. It’s almost like they think Apple decided one day to make an iPhone, knocked up a design in an afternoon, built a prototype then went into production by the end of the week.
Tech companies should have hundreds of unused ideas, ideas that may have merit and can be used down the line if appropriate. Accordingly they patent them.
I hope it’s snappy
This patent or something similar was highlighted early last year.
Interesting. Nice to get glimpses of a possible future.
Psystar probably already has something like this ready to go.
Er, AppleInsider dug this up two years ago…where has MacNN been?
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/05/10/apple_filing_reveals_multi_sided_ipod_with_touch_screen_interface.html
Now if the tablet has the same dual-surface user interface…We’re going to have nirvana
I’m thinking videophone.
It makes sense, if it’s a flip phone, so you could flip both screens on same side and that way double the screen size.
Perhaps this will allow “non-visual” navigation with a touch surface. The click-wheel was great for this, of course.
you call that stunning?
Can something be imminently snappy?
Seems like 1 of 2 things
Some serious Think Different™ Chit
Or
The latest and greatest of what Apple does very well
So well, in fact, The Master is probably smiling
Ladies and Gentlemen, Please Say Hello To ….
The MacGuffin
(yea, right click THAT puppy
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BC
Heads or Tails? That’s the first app for the iPhone nano!
Also, just because Apple files a patent doesn’t mean a product like this will ever see the light of day. Apple has more and more taken the position that it will patent, copyright and trademark anything and everything it can after being burned by the Microsoft case. Can’t say as I blame them.
Plus, if Apple’s business falls into a black hole, it can always sue the stuffing out of anyone who comes along later and makes any device with back-to-back screens that does something.
Yep, old news.