By now you may have heard that Apple (AAPL 0.01%) has patented a process for an all-glass casing for an iPhone or iPad. Could this same idea be applied to other iDevices? If so, what other sorts of innovations could Apple bring us?
Guest host Alison Southwick puts these questions to Fool analysts Nathan Alderman and Tim Beyers in this episode of 1-Up on Wall Street, The Motley Fool's Web show in which we talk about the big-money names behind your favorite technology, movies, toys, video games, comics, and more.
For investors, the patent filing comes as YouTuber Marques Brownlee showed off a prototype Sapphire glass display intended for the forthcoming iPhone 6. Don't know Sapphire? Think of it as a bendable but uncommonly durable version of everyday glass, and a potential large-scale substitute for Corning's Gorilla Glass for iPhone and iPad displays.
The patent itself doesn't describe type of devices Apple intends to make so much as the process of creating a "fused glass" enclosure. From the claims section of the patent filing:
An electronic device, comprising: a display; and a housing in which the display is mounted, wherein the housing includes glass structures that have a recess that receives at least part of the display, wherein the glass housing structures include a planar glass member fused with a peripheral glass member that extends around at least some peripheral edge portions of the planar glass member to form the recess, wherein the glass structures have a curved interior surface, wherein the display comprises a flexible display, and wherein the flexible display is attached to the curved interior surface.
Translation: Apple is cornering the market on gadgetry 100% encased in flexible-yet-durable glass.
Which glass devices would Tim and Nathan like to see from Apple? Click the video to watch as Alison puts them on the spot, and then leave a comment below give us your ideas. You can also follow us on Twitter for more segments and regular geek news updates!
