Apple patents flexible watches

A patent application from Apple outlines a device with a flexible screen worn on your wrist, adding fuel to the recent iWatch rumours.

The patent application describes a "wearable accessory device" that "includes a flexible display coupled to a bi-stable spring."
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If that sounds vague, Apple was kind enough to explain that it's actually talking about a "slap wrap" type of bracelet.

While not exactly a wristwatch, the bracelet could show all sorts of info on its flexible screen – including that of the temporal variety – but Apple also has a couple of novelty ideas for the device.

These include a "a sensor for detecting a change between the flat state and the curled state of the bi-stable spring substrate", a "kinetic energy gathering component" as well as "recharging a battery housed within the accessory device by way of a plurality of ambient light energy collectors disposed across a portion of one surface of the accessory device".

All in all, we're looking at a very exciting gadget, but the way from a patent application to an actual product is long and thorny, and we can't say for sure when (if ever) such a device might actually be on sale in Apple stores



/SydneyMorningHerald/