O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: flexible

  • Rumor: Apple exploring silver nanowire technology for 12.9-inch iPad

    nanowire

    I’m not entirely sure what nanowire is, but it sounds pretty cool.

    A new report claims that Apple is investigating silver nanowire technology to improve touch panels in its much anticipated upcoming 12.9-inch iPad.

    The quote reads as follows:

    “Apple is planning to apply nano new material on touch panel. By changing ITO-based clear film with silver nano wire (AgNW) material, it plans to raise sense of touch and decrease cost.국내 은나노와이어 Domestic AgNW based touch-screen panel (TSP) industries are getting ready to commercialize the products as soon as possible.”

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  • Apple Watch goes through DisplayMate testing, results posted

    applewatchface

    The Apple Watch is out the door, its display is impressive and seems to hold a terrific resolution, even given its tiny screen.

    The display itself features a Flexible OLED covered by either a sapphire crystal or Ion-X strengthened cover glass on the Sport model. This being Apple’s first OLED display, Dr. Raymond Soneira over at DisplayMate went bananas, testing its performance, power management, color management, color gamut, color accuracy, ambient light sensor, reflectance, viewing angles and other aspects of the wearable.

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  • Apple receives patent for device that could send data via bending flexible materials

    One day, you will send data by bending certain materials in the right direction.

    Per AppleInsider and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Apple on Tuesday was assigned a patent detailing an interactive flexible device display that uses built-in sensors to detect bends or panel movement, which triggers a server request for multimedia content.

    As published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple’s U.S Patent No. 8,855,727 for a “Mobile electronic device with an adaptively responsive flexible display” describes a unique interactive device panel capable of triggering various system tasks, specifically mass media content served up in the form of MMS messages.

    While the document consistently refers to the portable computing device as a “digital periodical” or “advertising device,” the patent’s claims specifically point out methods in which the system is a mobile phone.

    flexibledisplay

    Only a generalized physical description is offered in the patent, but the invention notes the device can take on one or more flexible displays operably attached to hardware components like network adapters, sensors and more. Further, the displays can “roll up” into a specialized rectangular or cylindrical housing for easy carry. Lending to the device’s advertising capabilities is an embodiment that allows attachment to a lamp post or other highly visible public structure.

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  • Opinion: Flexibility Under Stress

    By Bob Snow

    The new iPhone 6 Plus appears to have a problem. There have been a number of reports of the Plus deforming under a relatively normal mode of use. The phone, when placed in a front pocket for a length of time and stressed, can bend and not return to its original flat form. This is not a problem that can be simply dismissed, nor is it the end of the world. Apple knows how to benefit from the emotion and hype in the lead up to such an important introduction. The downside is that any negative publicity about the product gets similarly amplified. Take a deep breath and let’s look at the ramifications.

    beny6

    Apple relies on profits from phone sales more than any other product line, and the Plus is a costly and very personal product from the perspective of the consumer. There is a lot riding on this, but it could be much worse. I don’t think the problem will effect the 4.7-inch phone, which should represent the bulk of iPhone 6 sales. Keep in mind that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are still available. What remains to be seen is how many of the iPhone 6 Plus phones get bent and how Apple addresses the problem with customers. Phones with glass screens break all the time. I suspect many, many more of the Plus screens will break in the course of use than phones bending. Apple needs to treat customers with bent phones well. Give them a replacement phone, even credit towards a rival phone through their carrier, if the customer wants to keep a large screened phone in their pocket. For obvious reasons, this is going to be an almost exclusively male problem.

    Why is this happening? The phone is made of aluminum. Aluminum, at least initially, bends elastically and springs back. Beyond that, it will deform plastically and not return to its original shape. The sides are critical to the strength of the phone in bending and they may not be strong enough, especially around the button holes. A plastic phone like the 5c remains elastic in bending to a far greater degree. It is more likely to crack or bend far enough to break the screen, before becoming permanently deformed. Plastic has a lot going for it and nothing to apologize for, but the aluminum phones feel great in your hand and there is an aesthetic to them that is very elegant.

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  • Apple posts, pulls job posting for engineer with “flexible display” experience, could link to rumored “iWatch” on horizon

    applelogo_silver

    Your next Mac display could be bendy/squishy/flexible.

    Or not.

    Per AppleInsider, Apple on Wednesday took down a job listing it posted in early April looking for a hardware engineer with experience in flexible displays, suggesting that the company is actively researching the advanced technology only now emerging in the consumer marketplace.

    The listing, originally posted on April 1 at the company’s Jobs at Apple webpage, sought a “Senior Optical Engineer” who has experience with emerging technologies, including flexible displays. Apple’s post corresponds to recent rumors that a so-called “iWatch” would soon be brought to market, with the wristwatch-like device thought to sport a “curved display.”

    According to the now pulled post, Apple is actively recruiting for “a Display Specialist to lead the investigation on emerging display technologies such as high optical efficiency LCD, AMOLED and flexible displays.”

    Judging by the job summary and required duties, Apple appears to be researching how to best build a device with a high-quality flexible display. On the other hand, the company could merely be looking to study its options in how to best deploy such a product should the need arise.

    Rumors regarding the iWatch have been making the rounds over the past few months, with rumblings pointing to an ergonomic wearable device featuring a curved screen. In February, users discovered a patent detailing a wrist-worn unit with a flexible display, providing concrete evidence that Apple is at least investigating such a device.

    It is not clear why Apple pulled the job listing, though it could be that the company has found a suitable candidate for the position.