Apple is researching a completely redesigned Apple Watch with a wraparound screen

Apple is researching a possible radical redesign for the Apple Watch, including a rounded dial, flexible wraparound display and digitally customizable watch straps, according to a newly granted patent application.

The patent, stained by MacRumors this morning, it is titled “Display Module and System Applications” and has been registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The document describes how a flexible display can span the entire watch face and the range of a smartwatch for a new transformational Apple Watch design. The elongated screen itself is considered flexible enough to contour the shape of a user’s arm to fit like a normal watch strap.

In one application, the modalities of the invention describe a wearable electronic device, such as a smartwatch, including a flexible display panel and a flexible display module. In this way, the display area of ​​the smartwatch is not limited to a rigid area of ​​the watch face. In one embodiment, a smartwatch includes a flexible display panel that is integrated into a flexible watch strap. Consequently, the curvature of the flexible display panel in both the watch face and the bracelet area can be adjusted to conform to the user’s wrist size … the display area of ​​the flexible display panel can cover more space available in the area of the watch face and smartwatch band.

Apple explains that the design includes a screen with a “plurality of interconnections” that extend “across the screen substrate from the front surface to the back surface, and an array of LEDs are in the area of ​​the screen and electrically connected with the plurality of interconnections “A battery, processor, ambient light sensor and other vital smartwatch components can be attached to a case at the rear of the large display unit.

Although the process explains that an OLED display can be sensitive to air and moisture degradation without a rigid protective glass cover, in addition to being “problematic” with the use of “interconnections”, some OLED display technologies may still be appropriate for the radical new design.

Apple also notes that the design can facilitate a “minimized” frame around the screen for a more aesthetically pleasing appearance and can even “eliminate” the frame entirely:

According to the modalities of the invention, the width of the frame around the display panel can be minimized, for example, below 4-5 mm or even less than 1 mm, less than 0.5 mm or eliminated. Thus, the design of the smartwatch bezel can be designed for aesthetic reasons, rather than as a requirement to allocate space for a contact edge.

In addition to being able to select a watch face design, as in current Apple Watch models, the patent explains that users can likewise select a digital band design to be shown in the band segment of the surrounding screen using an “accessory manager” to create a unique look. The process describes a very similar system for selecting bracelet designs that is currently in place for selecting and customizing watch faces, with the option to do this on the Apple Watch itself or on a connected iPhone.

The input is analyzed to derive the data for display and the derived data is displayed in the display area, where the display area is on a flexible display substrate covering a face and band of the wearable electronic device. For example, the wearable electronic device can be a smartwatch. In one embodiment, the non-transitory, computer-readable medium stores additional instructions for performing additional operations, including receiving a configuration of the watch face and bracelet display area, receiving a derived data design, the design including a watch face and band watch and updating the display area with the received design.

Although the digital crown on the Apple Watch does not appear to be represented in the design, a separate patent was published today with the title “Capacitive gap sensor ring for an input device”, explaining how the digital crown could use two “nested” capacitive rings that move against each other to get a wider range of input information.

Although Apple has not yet released a flexible screen device, the company is believed to be working on an iPhone with a foldable screen. Patents cannot be taken as evidence of Apple’s specific intentions, but they do provide valuable information about what the company is researching and developing behind the scenes.

In addition, the representation of an alternative Apple Watch design in a patent is very unusual, as Apple is often careful to mirror the current Apple Watch design in patent illustrations. Patents focusing on the Apple Watch’s own physical design are even rarer and may well suggest the future of the device.

The Apple Watch has actually had the same design since its launch in 2016, except for a minor update with the Apple Watch Series 4, and we are yet to see a substantial overhaul of the wearable form factor. Apple’s trusted analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, had previously suggested that the Apple Watch Series 7 may feature “enhanced shape design”, but there is still no indication of what the final device might look like. The Apple Watch Series 7 is due to be released later this year, but there have been few rumors so far about what the new model might present in addition to blood glucose monitoring.