“We know that Apple has been investigating various methods of incorporating flexible displays in its mobile devices thanks to a handful of patents and patent applications published over the last year,” Jordan Kahn reports for 9to5Mac.
“Flexible display rumors have picked up steam even more since rumors of an iWatch from Apple, and just today we came across two new Apple patent applications detailing flexible devices that could change states as a user bends or twists the device,” Kahn reports. “We all know Apple patent applications have never been a good indication of future product releases, but now Apple has came right out and stated in a job listing that it is indeed considering flexible displays.”
Kahn reports, “The job listing seeking a Sr. Optical Engineer was posted earlier this month and looks for a display expert to investigate “high optical efficiency LCD, AMOLED and flexible display.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
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To be clear, the end result is not going to be a flexible screen. The display is flexible only during device assembly where it gets as curvy as needed (within certain degree). Then the screen will be covered with super hard “Gorilla” or sapphire glass, and it is not going to be flexible.
(Any flexible material is superprone to (micro)scratches so it becomes completely useless just in weeks of extensive use. So for mobile devices there will be cover. However, if it is huge desktop/wall-mounted screen which is not to be touched in any way, then it is possible to leave it flexible. This would allow users to have super-wide screens with panoramic effect that depends on settings; a flexible screen, indeed.)
I think you’re all wrong on this topic. Actually, you’re pretty bright, I just think you’re not looking long-tail at this product.
Flex-circuitry is just the beginning, followed by malleable circuitry to be woven into textiles.
Hats, gloves, and overcoats will appear in Nordstrom’s first, as bleeding edge flex-tech.
Remember you heard it here first; Apple Apparel, Inc., will have the necessary patents to move forward with environmentally controlled clothing.
Perhaps in the future Apple or its partners will find a way to apply a micro-thin coating of a scratch-resistant material to the flexible screen? A very thin coating might remain sufficiently pliable to bend to a reasonable degree. For example, I have read about efforts to sputter diamond coatings onto optics. It is a relatively low-temperature process that might just be technically and financially feasible in coming years. And other materials might be even better in terms of ease of application and overall cost (although not quite as high on the Moh’s scale).
This task is almost impossible to complete, because the very notion of flexibility fundamentally contradicts to requirement of the surface being supersmooth and superhard. Also, besides scratch-issue, there is clarity/contrast problem.
Will I need to bend over backwards to watch a flexible display in a yoga class?
you won’t NEED to, you will WANT to!
my screen is melting – thx Salvador Dali
now we can bend iPhone Camera up or down – useful?
For whatever strange reason, when I read the headline, the only thing I can think of is Marissa Mayer (Yahoo’s CEO). 🙂