- A future Apple Watch could debut a touch -sensitive glass frame
- The report comes from a Chinese leaks at Weibo
- It seems to be based on an Apple Patent that was published this week
Apple seems to be working on a future design upgrade for Apple Watch that could see the company replace its chassis and physical buttons with a touch -sensitive glass frame, based on new reports.
The prospect of an Apple Watch with a glass frame and touch interaction has fled on the Chinese social media platform Weibo by Leaker Instant Digital, specifically in the context that an Apple Watch could arrive throughout the glass before a rumored all-glass iPhone.
However, the timing of the leak and closeness suggests that this information has actually come from an Apple patent published on March 27, first discovered by patentless Apple.
The patent, seen by Techradar and creatively called “Portable Electronic Device with Glass Shell”, seems to indicate that Apple is considering a future in which its best Apple Watch models have a glass shell and sidewall with touch sensitivity rather than a titanium or aluminum chassis.
Here’s what we know.
An All-Glas Apple Watch Future
The patent refers to a portable device with a glass shell that includes both the Apple Watch display and “a sidewall that extends from the front wall.” Essentially, the front and sides of the watch would be made of glass.
Not only would this look pretty cool, but it would allow Apple to transform the side walls of Apple Watch into a touch -sensitive, evolving display that could display information and receive touch inputs.
The advantage, of course, would be that the information and input could change based on the context. For example, if you drove a stopwatch, touch buttons on the page could offer start and stop features. Change to music listening and these buttons could show buttons for pause or skip tracks.
This is a possible iteration of a future Apple Watch that is probably years away, so don’t expect an all-glass Apple Watch Ultra 3 or Series 11 in September.
Apple has also patented an Apple Watch with a folding, dual display and cameras, and a recent Bloomberg Mark Gurman report suggests the company is considering adding cameras to the device to transform it into an AI-driven laptop that can contextualize the world around you.
To me, the idea of a more subtle design finy with touch-sensitive glass seems a little more refined than putting a camera into the Apple Watch, but there is no reason why Apple doesn’t both do at some point.
Of course, of course, there is every chance that this patent will never see the light of day and only remains an idea on paper.
More instantly, we know that Apple plans to add blood pressure monitoring of some kind to its more Premium 2025 models. In the meantime, those who await the Apple Watch can see 3 expect a fairly significant plastic resort that has given Apple some design headaches according to the latest reports.
