The recent buzz in the technology news is that the next generation of the iPhone would be waterproof, at least to some extent. Now while a lot of approved patents don’t become reality, this recently approved patent by Apple indicate that the waterproof iPhone theory might just be true.
Apple was granted this patent by the USPTO – US Patent and Trademark Office which indicates that the production of waterproof or water-resistant devices is possible in company’s near future. What is the patent about? It is a patent for editing tools that could enhance the quality of underwater photography ensuring that the images do not have “undesirable tints” – meaning underwater images would retain their blue water hue and not be blurred.
As mentioned earlier, not all patents become realities but there is something different about this one. Why? Because it is another one of a series of patents that Apple has to develop devices that would work underwater. Earlier this year, a patent was approved for “submersion detection circuitry” – a feature that allows the device to detect if it has been submerged in some liquid. Going back to 2015, Apple was granted another one for “protective barrier” to cover ports and make those areas resistant to water. And before that, an Apple patent for protecting “electronic components from moisture” was also approved.
So, the point here is that there is a trend is all of these approved patents. Apple is striving to make its device waterproof and also to make it work underwater. The iPhone 7 is expected to be released this September and aside from waterproof feature, it is rumoured to drop the jack for headphones. If this happens, it will make the phone safer from any water.
It would not be surprising if Apple does manage to add the waterproof feature in the iPhone 7 as this technology is already available to users and Apple is already behind the curve on this trend.
Samsung has offered water resistant and waterproof devices for years and the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has both a waterproof body and stylus and can work underwater for 30 minutes. So even if the next generation iPhone is waterproof, Apple would not be the first company to offer this feature.
