More evidence of waterproof Apple devices on the horizon, and one subtle hint about the Apple Watch
Apple’s relentless quest in researching ways to waterproof devices continues, as new clues emerge from the U.S. Patents and Trademarks office, in the form of a patent application filed in 2014, and published this week.
The patent application, titled “Electronic device with hidden connector”, describes a method of blocking the ingress of water and other particles, through connectors like a Lightning port, USB-C or the audio jack, by using what is described as a self healing elastomer.
Simply put, connector openings on future Apple devices may one day feature a waterproof material inside the connectors, which would seal the opening completely. When plugging in a cable, the material would be “punctured open” to allow access to the port beneath the protective material. When access to the port is no longer needed, unplugging a cable will cause the protective material to self-heal and reform.
Waterproof MacBooks?
The patent’s claims, in this particular case, are not limited to small devices, like iPhones and iPod Touch, but any device to which this design can be applied. This is explained in the second paragraph (0033) under Detailed Description:
“...embodiments of the invention are not limited to smartphones and may be employed in any type of electronic device including, but not limited to, wrist watches, portable media players, notebook computers, docking stations, desktop computers, portable radios, televisions, and set top boxes...”
While waterproofing desktop devices like the Apple iMac or the Mac Pro makes very little sense, MacBooks present a different scenario, as for most laptops used in outdoor settings such as a school campus, or anywhere inclement weather may occur.
What about the Apple Watch?
The 12th and 13th points listed in the claims section of the patent reveals what could be a clue on Apple’s future designs for the Apple Watch:
“...
12. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a wearable device.
13. The electronic device of claim 12 wherein the housing is curved and shaped to be worn on a user's wrist.
...
”
While it’s true that the above description could be interpreted in different ways, the idea of a curved housing for a wearable device may be a hint that Apple may be considering, at the very least, a curved design for the Apple Watch, or similar wearable device, with a curved screen.
A new trend for Apple
While it’s true that there is no guarantee that Apple will ever use any portion of the patents it files, the company has been slowly changing its usual trend of “patenting and forgetting”, in the past couple of years.
A number of patents, such as Force Touch, the Fusion Keyboard, the Apple Pencil, and several patents concerning functioning applications for the Apple Watch, were all filed and granted within a short span prior to entering production.
This trend suggests that Apple may be getting more regimental when it comes to publishing patents, which in turns fuels interest in consumers looking forward to new features and functionality.