Perhaps you'll be scared enough to start caring for your possessions better so as to prevent them getting damaged.
accidents happen, surely even to super-humans such as yourself. (for example, somebody punching you in the gut as youre gabbing on your phone in the elevator, causing you to drop it...a terrible, terrible accident.)
Seriously, what do people who have had 'accidents' with Apple products do? What have they historically done? Are you worried that Apple will design something -- such as its design is -- differently with its rumored iWatch, than it has done in the past? If so, why?
I guess what I am failing to see is the need for this 'concern.'
Reading this is a bit scary when thinking about user replacement of broken screens!!
So, how does one replace a broken screen when the screen is embedded in liquidmetal? Maybe with a sapphire screen there will be less scratching and breakage, but still there will be cases when you need to replace it.
The whole part would need to be replaced, not just the screen. In the same way, you can't replace a worn bushing in the alternator of many current autos; you just swap out the entire alternator.
In any case, Apple doesn't care about making the handset convenient for consumers to do their own repairs. Apple explicitly states that the iPhone does not have any user serviceable parts.
Why does this article assume it's for the iPhone and not for other products? Frankly I think the wrist-worn device using LiquidMetal and Sapphire seems like a much better fit than the iPhone for these technologies. Did this 2007 patent even mention sapphire?
I'm not sure how a smart-watch would be catagorized, but if I'm not mistaken Swatch Group has an exclusive license agreement with Liquidmetal Technologies. The contract allows Swatch Group to use the technology exclusively in their line of timepieces.
For those who never owned a watch with a sapphire crystal, it far more durable than any iphone display. I have owned 3 watches with sapphire crystals and would never own one again without one. I am not easy on my watched and wear mine non stop and have banged the crystal into walls and metal objects and never broke one.
I highly doubt we will see a sapphire crystal on an iphone, they have to be grown and it not a easy process. Which brings me to my next question which is I wonder if Apple held off on this patent becoming public knowledge, 6 years form patent submission to award is a long time even for the Patent office. I do not think apple wanted this known until that had a product to be released.
Most of the other patents Apple was granted happen after the product release or for Idea they obviously do not plan to productize in the near future.
For those who never owned a watch with a sapphire crystal, it far more durable than any iphone display. I have owned 3 watches with sapphire crystals and would never own one again without one. I am not easy on my watched and wear mine non stop and have banged the crystal into walls and metal objects and never broke one.
Sure, but it's also smaller in size, probably thicker, surrounded by other materials differently, lighter, a different design, and used differently that may all allow breaking the display to be less likely than if that material were on entire front of a smartphone.
Which brings me to my next question which is I wonder if Apple held off on this patent becoming public knowledge, 6 years form patent submission to award is a long time even for the Patent office. I do not think apple wanted this known until that had a product to be released.
They do own a sapphire "farm" and production facility in Arizona so I think it's clear they will release products with it in the not too distant future, but your comment about holding off on releasing the patent is intriguing. Can that be done? I've only ever heard about that with the FCC. If so, then I would move my 2 year timeframe to this year.
For those who never owned a watch with a sapphire crystal, it far more durable than any iphone display. I have owned 3 watches with sapphire crystals and would never own one again without one. I am not easy on my watched and wear mine non stop and have banged the crystal into walls and metal objects and never broke one.
I highly doubt we will see a sapphire crystal on an iphone, they have to be grown and it not a easy process. Which brings me to my next question which is I wonder if Apple held off on this patent becoming public knowledge, 6 years form patent submission to award is a long time even for the Patent office. I do not think apple wanted this known until that had a product to be released.
Most of the other patents Apple was granted happen after the product release or for Idea they obviously do not plan to productize in the near future.
GTAT in Mesa, Arizona for sapphire boules, the so-called iWatch is years in the making at least half a decade minimum.
Personally, I think this is a possibility for the rumored iwatch, I don't think we'll see sapphire nor liquid metal in the next iPhone, but, perhaps the gasket idea will be used for a future iPhone, perhaps next year.
wigby, I understand Apple does that now, but I am curious how it would be done if the glass is 'grabbed' by the liquidmetal. Perhaps Apple can work it so that the liquidmetal back/glass-sapphire front is one piece, and all the iPhone 'guts' are in an assembly that slides into the one-piece body. Or maybe the grabbing can be released so that the new glass/sapphire screen can more easily slide into the body. Who knows, but fun and interesting to think about it. I've replaced an iPod touch screen a few generations back after my daughter broke hers, but given the current generations of iDevices, I probably won't be attempting that anymore.
For those who never owned a watch with a sapphire crystal, it far more durable than any iphone display. I have owned 3 watches with sapphire crystals and would never own one again without one. I am not easy on my watched and wear mine non stop and have banged the crystal into walls and metal objects and never broke one.
I highly doubt we will see a sapphire crystal on an iphone, they have to be grown and it not a easy process. Which brings me to my next question which is I wonder if Apple held off on this patent becoming public knowledge, 6 years form patent submission to award is a long time even for the Patent office. I do not think apple wanted this known until that had a product to be released.
Most of the other patents Apple was granted happen after the product release or for Idea they obviously do not plan to productize in the near future.
Why on earth do you go round flinging your watch into walls?
I feel everyone is thinking too hard about the worng side. I feel as if this focuses more on glass inserts, like on the back of the iPhone, then the front display. Thank about it!
Comments
Perhaps you'll be scared enough to start caring for your possessions better so as to prevent them getting damaged.
accidents happen, surely even to super-humans such as yourself. (for example, somebody punching you in the gut as youre gabbing on your phone in the elevator, causing you to drop it...a terrible, terrible accident.)
Seriously, what do people who have had 'accidents' with Apple products do? What have they historically done? Are you worried that Apple will design something -- such as its design is -- differently with its rumored iWatch, than it has done in the past? If so, why?
I guess what I am failing to see is the need for this 'concern.'
Reading this is a bit scary when thinking about user replacement of broken screens!!
So, how does one replace a broken screen when the screen is embedded in liquidmetal? Maybe with a sapphire screen there will be less scratching and breakage, but still there will be cases when you need to replace it.
The whole part would need to be replaced, not just the screen. In the same way, you can't replace a worn bushing in the alternator of many current autos; you just swap out the entire alternator.
In any case, Apple doesn't care about making the handset convenient for consumers to do their own repairs. Apple explicitly states that the iPhone does not have any user serviceable parts.
Why does this article assume it's for the iPhone and not for other products? Frankly I think the wrist-worn device using LiquidMetal and Sapphire seems like a much better fit than the iPhone for these technologies. Did this 2007 patent even mention sapphire?
I'm not sure how a smart-watch would be catagorized, but if I'm not mistaken Swatch Group has an exclusive license agreement with Liquidmetal Technologies. The contract allows Swatch Group to use the technology exclusively in their line of timepieces.
Link
I highly doubt we will see a sapphire crystal on an iphone, they have to be grown and it not a easy process. Which brings me to my next question which is I wonder if Apple held off on this patent becoming public knowledge, 6 years form patent submission to award is a long time even for the Patent office. I do not think apple wanted this known until that had a product to be released.
Most of the other patents Apple was granted happen after the product release or for Idea they obviously do not plan to productize in the near future.
Sure, but it's also smaller in size, probably thicker, surrounded by other materials differently, lighter, a different design, and used differently that may all allow breaking the display to be less likely than if that material were on entire front of a smartphone.
They do own a sapphire "farm" and production facility in Arizona so I think it's clear they will release products with it in the not too distant future, but your comment about holding off on releasing the patent is intriguing. Can that be done? I've only ever heard about that with the FCC. If so, then I would move my 2 year timeframe to this year.
For those who never owned a watch with a sapphire crystal, it far more durable than any iphone display. I have owned 3 watches with sapphire crystals and would never own one again without one. I am not easy on my watched and wear mine non stop and have banged the crystal into walls and metal objects and never broke one.
I highly doubt we will see a sapphire crystal on an iphone, they have to be grown and it not a easy process. Which brings me to my next question which is I wonder if Apple held off on this patent becoming public knowledge, 6 years form patent submission to award is a long time even for the Patent office. I do not think apple wanted this known until that had a product to be released.
Most of the other patents Apple was granted happen after the product release or for Idea they obviously do not plan to productize in the near future.
GTAT in Mesa, Arizona for sapphire boules, the so-called iWatch is years in the making at least half a decade minimum.
Fail !
Cheap ass copies is all that they'll come up with.
Probably they will use this technique on the production of the next iphone.
Below a video review of how the next iphone most likely be:
Sounds as though you have a careless daughter.
Why on earth do you go round flinging your watch into walls?