Apple is looking to expand the nano-texture glass used in the Pro Display XDR to its mobile devices. The company feels that the anti-reflective properties of the nano-texture glass surface could be a beneficial addition to the iPhone or iPad. Apple also introduced the nano-texture glass surface recently on its 27-inch iMac.
According to reports, Apple has applied a patent, which mentions bringing the nano-texture glass technology to more devices. This patent implies that Apple means to bring it to its mobile devices.
The devices may include a mobile phone, a notebook computing device (e.g., a notebook), a tablet computing device (e.g., a tablet), a portable media player, a wearable device, or another type of portable electronic device.
As per the patent, the ambit of possible devices expands to include desktop screens as well. The Cupertino based company has tried to cover all its bases. One thing it clearly emphasizes that the device has to have a display which “shows graphical outputs visible through the textured region of the glass member.”
The drawings on the patent show an iPad-like device, however, it’s pretty evident that Apple does not want to limit the application of nano-texture glass to just a single portable device.
The patent goes on to describe various methods of etching onto the glass-like chemical etching techniques, lithography and more. The aim is to build a device with a single piece of textured glass where the texture is created through etching.
This etched texture is what makes the nano-texture glass effective in reducing reflectivity, which cuts back on the amount of light being reflected back to the user’s eyes.
Designing such an appliance has its own challenges. The textured glass seems to occupy a large surface area which makes the device highly susceptible to scratching despite the dimensions of the glass being in the nano range.
In the case of Pro Display, XDR Apple provides a special cloth for cleaning which diminishes the chances of getting scratches. But an iPhone with a textured glass surface would be difficult to protect from stray scratches as we tend to keep our phones in pockets with other objects like keys or coins.
The patent was filed by three masterminds: Joseph C. Poole, Matthew S. Rogers, and Naoto Matsuyuki.
