Apple has managed to secure a patent that explains how it could make an all-glass iPhone. The filing titled “Fused glass device housings” lists Apple’s design chief, Jony Ive, as one of the applicants.
An all-glass phone may sound impractical, but it doesn’t have to be. For one thing, Cook & Co. may opt to use a much more solid sapphire glass for the iPhone case rather than regular glass.
The Cupertino-based company is already using this expensive material for the Touch ID found in the iPhone 5s and to cover its cameras. The rumor has it that going forward they plan to use sapphire glass screens, and perhaps one day, they make a bold step forward and launch an all-glass phone. Meanwhile, we’ve seen reports suggesting Apple has been investing in sapphire glass production, but we yet have to receive any formal confirmation on this.
At the moment, this material is used only in a few phones sold to the super-rich with the likes of Vertu and Gresso selling devices with sapphire glass screens. Alas, their products are far from the reach of an average phone user.
If Apple manages to pull this off and end-up using sapphire glass for its screens, it will yet again show the world how its products are different from an army of Android phones. In that sense, we’re sure other OEM’s would be quick to follow suit and launch devices with sapphire glass, as well.
[Via: AppleInsider]