When is Apple coming out with a flip version of the iPhone? Unwired View created some nice Photoshop images of what an iFlipPhone might look like based on what it claims is a recent Apple patent application for a “dual-sided trackpad.” It would help if Unwired View linked to the actual patent application, which I was unable to find on the US Patent Office Website (although, I gave up after about 15 minutes. If someone finds it please share the link or patent number in comments below). The patent supposedly describes a semi-transparent panel that can flip open, allowing either side to be used as a multitouch trackpad. Polarized keypad numbers might appear on the inside when you open up the clamshell, but when you close it, you would see through to the inside screen.
As with all Apple patents, just because somebody dreamed this up in Cupertino does not mean it will ever make it into a product. There is also the possibility that this is a hoax. (Is it even possible to make a touchpad that is transparent? I don’t know). But even if it is, doesn’t it make you want a clamshell iPhone?
Update: The patent is not a hoax. Unwired View coughed up the link in comments (thanks). It was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization, not the USPTO, which is why I was unable to find it. Bring on those translucent touchpads!
That isn’t very Apple looking… Looks pretty badly done… Must have been a photoshop nightmare of an iFlipPhone!!
Apple patents hundreds and hundreds of ideas. Very, very few of them actually see the light of the day. I doubt this clam shell phone will become a reality… it just doesn’t look good.
The reason I’ve used flip-phones in the past has been to protect my screen. My iPhone is so scratch-resistant that this desire has been entirely negated. I don’t see a need for this complicated and probably expensive iPhone variation.
The patent was not published at USPTO. It was on WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) patent website:
http://www.wipo.int/patentscop.....fapple%29+
Was keeping this database for myself for a while, since it provided some time advantage over other gadget (especially Apple) news sites.
But now that Apple blogs figured this one out, I guess there’s no point to do that anymore
I think phones should go back to flip just because it protects the phones. Case in point last night i i slept with my t-mobile dash and when I woke up, the screen was all blue and discolored. Those screens for the most part are fragile.
Bring back flip phones for smart phones!
Kelsey
http://www.helpuu.com - the google-powered search engine that helps
@ Kelsey.
Get a bag phone, and while you are at it, a helmet.
What is the stupid obsession about flip phones? If you need a cover to protect your phone then buy a box to carry it around. Ever Wonder why iPods are not iflippods??? Because that would make them ugly and bulky.
“Scotty, this is Kirk. Beam me down a double moca frappacino and the new single by Nora Jones. Kirk out.”
Microsoft, ironically enough, has a researcher who’s developed a pseudo-transparent touch screen. Here’s a write up about it:
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19300/
–Kate
How about something that isnt a smudgy piece of poo?
simply horrible!
And this is being reported on Techcrunch because…?
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Rob
some patents are filed as a defensive move. Steve Jobs will NEVER implement this.
You will be surprised what gets implemented. Not only that, this is somebody else’s interpretation of the patent description. How close to reality is it? really!!
the keypad has to be shorter than the screen.
I think the reason why is that when u close it u see a bit of the screen
so that now playing or txt msg preview or caller id is available..
also what i think is you have a touch sensitive side on the other side of the keypad so it acts as a clickwheel of some sort lol
but i really dont think apple will make this.
ive never seen apple stuff that bends except for macbook/pros.. lol
A flip phone is a good idea not because of “protection,” but because iPhones are notoriously impossible to operate without looking directly at the screen, thus requiring attention a lot of people don’t want to give. With my flip phone, I can push buttons without ever looking at them. No such luck with an iphone.
Actually, I prefer flip-phones not for the screen protection, but I find that they more easily and more snugly fit into my pocket.