Apple has been granted a patent for a new foldable display which will be crack-resistant by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The display is said to feature multiple layers, including a flexible substrate, a thin-film transistor layer, and a protective layer which aims to prevent cracks formation in the flexible substrate which is the most sensitive part of the display. This technology is expected to be tested on a foldable iPad ahead of possibly introducing it on a foldable iPhone.
According to a report by GizmoChina, Apple has also been granted a patent for a self-healing display, in addition to a crack-resistant one, which could be used in a foldable device. Although there have been reports of a foldable iPhone being unlikely, a foldable iPad is a possibility for the company. This would allow Apple to test and improve the technology before potentially releasing a foldable iPhone. This is so because iPad is a less crucial product for Apple compared to the iPhone. Thus, it would be less risky for the company to release a foldable iPad.
The news of Apple working on a self-healing display isn’t new. There have been multiple rumours in the past suggesting the same. According to an application spotted by Patently Apple, the company filed its first patent for self-healing display in January 2020.
The Cupertino-based tech giant is said to be exploring self-healing display technology for its devices for quite some time now. Self-healing displays are said to use a special type of material that can repair small scratches and cracks on the surface of the display. However, there may be an external light, current or any other type of stimulus required to initiate the healing process. This technology is still in the early stages of development and it is unknown when or if Apple plans to implement it in their devices. Everything is just a rumour for now and there’s no official information on this.