Future iPhones may have something in common with Fruit Roll-Ups
Apple's far-flung concepts for a future iPhone seem to be inspired by a famous snack food.
The company's latest patent filing, brought to light by AppleInsider, describes a bold new build with a super-flexible OLED screen that retracts into a compact package like a scroll—or better yet, a Fruit Roll-Up.
It would allow future iPhone owners to hide their screens anytime they like. A quick deploy command would control the device, unfurling the display, while a retract command would bring it back into its casing.
The phone's internal components would be stuffed into the two rounded housings at either end. That's not a ton of space for the speakers, camera, battery, processors and the rest, but this is the future we're talking about—we'll figure it out later.
It's not clear exactly how flexible these retractable screens would be. One method of the design specifies that the display would become rigid when in the deployed state, making it easier for users to use their phones.
The design depends on spring-loaded rollers in the component housings to control the deployment/retraction process. The housings could be held together by magnets when the screen is retracted.
Apple has patented flexible, stretchable screen designs before—but the pliable tech remains nothing more than speculative pipe dreams at the moment. Samsung and LG are both rumored to have a devices with a foldable screen primed for release later this year, for those looking for a bit more bend in their phones in the immediate future.
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
