2017 marks an important year for Apple as it plans to release its new Apple Watch alongside the highly-anticipated next generation iPhone to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Although the tech giant has kept a low profile regarding the innovations it will bring to the market, there have been numerous rumors circulating around the devices already.
One of the exciting upgrades on the Apple Watch 3 is reported to be an improved health-tracking sensor. According to recent report from
BGR, the new smartwatch would be able to monitor blood glucose levels.
Another possible upgrade is a smart band. The exact functions are unclear, but it is said to feature modular components that would add "various functionality" to the watch.
More importantly, latest rumors suggest Apple will also improve the display panel of its upcoming smartwatch lineup by replacing the existing OLED panels with Micro
LED ones. The iPhone maker has been developing this display technology for quite a while since it acquired LuxVue, a specialist in making Micro LED panels, so it is highly expected that an enhanced panel will be embedded on the next Apple Watch, which is said to be launched in fall 2017.
As to the new iPhone, a list of latest patents may hint at some of the rumored features Apple may be adding to its future device and probably their next iPhone, including a bezel-less screen with a built-in fingerprint scanner.
(Photo Credits: USPTO)
The borderless display
patent is called ‘Reducing the border area of a device.’ It describes a nearly-flat display made of a flexible substrate that can have curved edges, allowing it to wrap around the sides of the device. This is said to decrease the total width of the device or allow for an extended touch-active area. This edge-to-edge design would be similar to the "infinity display" on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, which were released in late April.
Also, Apple is rumored to use a Micro LED panel for the screen, and replace the home button with a built-in Touch ID. The embedded Touch ID patent states that an integrated fingerprint sensor will allow for more quickly authentication, and save users from the trouble of “switching between tasks to perform the authentication.”
Though the above upgrades may not be ready for using on the iPhone 8 but for future models, it does imply that there may have been some truth to the rumored innovations Apple has been working on.
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