“On the same day that Apple bought the augmented reality company Metaio, it also published a patent for a new type of flexible display featuring tiny holes that let you see through (or hear through) it,” Mark Sullivan reports for VentureBeat.

“Displays have always been more like doors than windows, so to speak, but it may not have to be that way for much longer. Apple is experimenting with a display whose solid light-emitting pixels are surrounded by a pattern of tiny holes,” Sullivan reports. “This suggests that the display material may be thin and flexible.”

“Why? The augmented reality application here is the user holding up the device and being able to see both the images it projects and the real world objects behind the screen,” Sullivan reports. “So the pixels may be able to show images that seem to overlay and provide information about the items on the other side”

Read more, and see Apple’s patent application illustrations, in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Leave it to Apple to take augmented reality mainstream.

SEE ALSO:

Apple acquires augmented reality company Metaio – May 28, 2015
Apple preps Google Now rival with Siri API, augmented reality Maps, deep iOS 9 search – May 27, 2015
Apple granted patent for display-based speakers for iOS devices – January 13, 2015
Apple files patent for flexible display that deforms to provide tactile feedback, builds on Apple Watch feature – December 11, 2014
Apple granted a patent for devices with a transparent display – November 18, 2014
Apple patents new flexible display capabilities – August 26, 2014
Apple patents solar panels integrated into flexible multitouch displays – May 20, 2014
Apple patent application reveals personal display headset invention – May 8, 2014
Apple patent application reveals sapphire flexible transparent display devices created with Liquidmetal – December 19, 2013