Apple's approach to the cameras that it puts in its iPhones has always been rather different to some of its competitors. Nokia likes to throw as many pixels at its cameras as it can, and Samsung tends to follow a similar theme with the cameras that it puts in its Android smartphones. Apple, instead, likes to stick with its 8-megapixel shooter but to tweak it, adding features in both hardware and software that will make it shine when it counts; in the photos you take.
Every year, a new trend seems to hit the smartphone market, and if it isn't large displays or gold color configurations, then it's the manufacturers' new found love for a curved display. Naturally, Samsung was first to the draw with the Galaxy Round, closely followed by its compatriot LG with the impressive G Flex, and although an iPhone featuring an angled panel would seem quite a way off right now, a newly-awarded patent suggests that the Cupertino company is very much considering it.
Apple's Touch ID had been rumored to be on its way to devices for some time, and when it was finally unveiled as part of the iPhone 5s we all marveled at how Apple managed to take a fingerprint sensor and build it right into the Home button to the extent that you wouldn't know it was there. These things always seem even more impressive when shown as part of an exploded diagram, which is why everyone should take notice of the fact that Apple's Touch ID is now part of a patent application with the United States Patent & Trademark Office.
Apple, like all of the big tech companies, is always filing new patents and ideas with the USPTO, and one published this week suggests that the company could be looking into solar-based charging options for both the MacBook and the iOS device range. Such technology is already available, but its use is extremely limited, and with solar charging peripherals often bulky and impractical, Apple is looking for a simplified way to charge devices without he use of an inevitably hard-to-find plug socket.
Patently Apple does a pretty stellar job of keeping abreast of all the goings concerning the fruit company's intellectual property dealings, and has today spotted a couple of rather interesting patent applications that shed light on a system which would allow your iPhone to act as a "Smart Key." In walking towards your car, a Bluetooth connection from your device would enable you to automatically unlock the vehicle, in turn allowing you to avoid the cumbersome rigmarole of rooting around your pocket or purse for the key.
Apple frequently files patents with the USPTO, and while many fail to bear any kind of fruit, some offer a unique insight into the company's future plans. A recently published filing is of particular interest, since it details a portable device featuring a wrap-around AMOLED display, built entirely from glass, and also including a face-tracking feature. More info and images right after the jump.
Apple is renowned for meticulously, almost obsessively arranging each element of its vast product range, with every detail carefully placed in order to facilitate the sleekest of finishes. The iPhone 5 is a fine example of a well-designed smartphone, and with the introduction of a partial aluminum finish to the argument, many have lauded it as the most aesthetically-pleasing to date. But surely, a shell fully-enclosed in the light, robust material has to be seen as the ultimate dream, and a recent patent award to Apple concerning the antenna suggests such a dream could soon become reality.
Another day, another Apple patent story, but this time there's no sign of Samsung, Motorola or Google. Surely that cannot be? Yes, yes it can, actually. Wonders never cease!
Apple Patents ‘Wireless Charging’, Can Charge A Device As Far As One Meter Away From Charging Source
Apple is looking to arrive - fashionably late as usual - to the wireless charging circles, and unsurprisingly, the company has patented a method of wireless charging which it believes works differently to / better than anybody else's. It was only a matter of time before the patent filings began rolling through on a technology which is already out there, and as we should now be used to, Apple has "invented" its very own way of going about things.
Apple Granted Patents For Smart Cover And MagSafe, Trademarks For Word ‘Retina’ And Game Center Icon
As is becoming more and more apparent with the wave of intellectual property disputes between some of the largest names in tech - notably Apple and Samsung, designing a product and creating an innovation is only significant if the patents are then put into place. We've already seen Samsung ordered to pay an eye-watering $1.05 billion to its biggest rival over highly-publicized dispute in San Jose, and although it's way behind other names in the mobile field when it comes to its total number of patents stockpiled, the Cupertino has garnered a rep for its dogmatic approach to the patent game.
