Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) puts safety first, that is why the Cupertino-based tech giant is looking to create a transparent texting system for iPhones. With this technology, the app background would have to be modified to display the rear-facing camera on the iPhone. This could be a significant win for Apple.
A new patent goes transparent
Since mobile phones were designed to be on-the-go, they can pose a problem for those using their smartphone visually for texting or web browsing. Walking and reading the phone can pose a serious danger. If Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) smartphones were to feature a transparent display or at least create something that looks like transparency, phone users could be more aware of their surroundings.
Details regarding the new patent
The Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) patent shows a simple implementation. The rear camera will continuously take video shots then present the images as a background inside the displayed text message application. The end result would show an illusion of transparency with text that floats. The summary of the patent is described as such:
“Certain embodiments of the present invention can continuously capture video images using an electronic communication device’s camera, and continuously present those video images as a background within a text messaging session currently being displayed by the device. The camera capturing the video images can be a rear-facing camera on the device, so that the video images represent the views that the device’s user would see if the device’s display were transparent. The camera can continuously capture and present the video images as the background in the text messaging session, so that the device’s user continuously can be at least somewhat aware of the environment beyond the device’s display while still focusing on the text messages being communicated. The background within the text messaging session can continuously be a live and current video image of the view seen by the camera at any given moment. Consequently, the device’s user is less likely to collide with or stumble over an object while participating in a text messaging session.”
If this patent becomes a part of a future iPhone, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will certainly have upped the ante in terms of safety.
