Apple’s foldable iPhone could do without buttons altogether

Apple is said to be designing a technology that will allow the entire surface of an iPhone or iPad to be used to control the device.

The Internet is buzzing with the rumor that the iPhone Fold, the foldable smartphone that the Apple brand is preparing in the greatest secrecy, would push the concept of touch phone to its climax. Indeed, Apple Insider has discovered that the Cupertino company has filed a patent application for touch technology that allows you to navigate through an application using all body parts of a device.

The invention, called “Electronic Devices With Display And Touch Sensor Structures”, leaves little room for interpretation: Apple wants to exploit all parts of the iPhone chassis foldable. The description thus tells us that the engineers will hold “the control circuits, batteries and other components in the side walls of the device. These will have opaque or transparent surfacesupholstered with invisible thread”.

Apple designs an iPhone whose whole body would be tactile

Already rumored is that the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and potential iPhone 15 Ultra could dispense with physical buttons and feature haptic-feedback touch controls, lending credence to the speculation that Apple is moving away from physical keys. The concept isn’t entirely new, but Apple has long had the reputation for appropriating the inventions of others to transcend them.

What are the applications of a full touch chassis on the front, back or even edges? The company’s engineers explain what this type of control could be used for. “For example, when a user types something on the touch screen, their hand can block the images that appear on the screen […] In games, it is sometimes desirable to use a touch sensor on the back surface while showing associated visual information on a screen on the opposite surface of the device “. Will this technology be used in the iPhone 15 or in a possible foldable iPhone? Only time will tell, Apple currently seems to be exploring paths that competitors have already taken, such as Samsung with its Galaxy Z Fold 4 or Oppo with the Find N2 Flip.

Source : Apple Insider