The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent to Apple for an all-glass iPhone dubbed as a ‘single slab of glass’ along with a glass Apple Watch and Mac Pro tower.
The patent describes the future iPhone “as an electronic device with a six-sided glass enclosure defining an interior volume and comprising a first glass member and a second glass member.”
According to the illustration, the all-glass iPhone features displays on both the front and back with functional touchscreen buttons on the sides, including airplane mode, Wi-Fi, and volume controls.
The phone’s rear might also have a display that could show other people you are on a call.
The patent suggests that the device will have screens on all six sides with a capability to display something or will be just glass-encased, with room for components like microphones and speakers.
“In embodiments where an enclosure includes six sides, some sides may not include a display, that corresponding portion of the display component may be omitted or inoperative,” says the filing.
The patent says, “The electronic device may further include a force-sensing system configured to detect a deformation of the first region and, in response to detecting the deformation of the first region, change an operation of the electronic device.”
Further, Apple’s filing also includes drawings of a Mac Pro tower concept in the shape of an octagonal prism. “The enclosure may be formed of glass and maybe transparent along all or substantially all of the surfaces,” says the filing.
The filing also showcases the pictures of how an Apple Watch may look when it features glass enclosures, with the curved edge of the screen blending with the watch’s casing.