Apple, not one to keep its technology innovations out of the rumor wood chipper, followed up last week's rumor of a foldable phone with today's rumor of touchless phones and curved screens. This is according to a Bloomberg report that mentions both ideas are currently in the research and development stage.
The touchless screens would work through gesture control, similar to the Gryzzl technology we saw in the last season of Parks and Recreation and probably in half a dozen science fiction movies before that. It's not clear if the gesture control requires Tom Cruise style gloves, but anything is possible as Apple re-invents the future. Gesture control, likely to function by heat or magic, will surely add a long awaited depth to butt dialing. I can't wait to play Candy Crush on my iPhone XIII from a half an inch from the screen. A new party trick will be slagging fools in Fortnite with any body part besides your finger.
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As for the curved screens, the plan is to have them curve inward gradually from top to bottom. This is slightly different from some models of Samsung phones, that curve down at the edges and look about as silly as a phone can be. Thankfully for Apple, OLED technology allows for shaping, so it's possible that Apple can curve the screen whichever way it chooses. A phone shaped like a sphere? Sure, if you can jam all the proprietary technology in there, why not? According to another Bloomberg report Apple is also working on MicroLED technology but that is probably aimed at the Apple Watch.
Speaking of Samsung, it already has a feature called Air Gestures that enables users to flip through the screen on their phone without touching it. That technology uses a motion sensor in the phone bezel, rather than relying on technology embedded in the screen itself. Google is also working on similar technology through its Project Soli. The gist is that large tech manufacturers want a future in which we never once again complain about how dirty and fingerprint laden our screens are, while never once reminding us to wipe off the smudged camera lens before taking a picture.
You most likely won't see any of this technology hit the market anytime soon, save for the OLED screens. It's very possible the next iteration of the iPhone will have an OLED screen and probably be the size of a middle school textbook. Word on the street is that the next OLED iPhone will sport a 6.5-inch screen, while also planning a cheaper LCD phone. Apple is hoping that the skinny jeans craze is coming to an end, while also planning for the reality it never will.
I'm all for touchless screens because if there is one thing that I tire of, it's touching my phone screen. In fact, I'd like to take it one step further and implore Apple to just release some nanobots that can be embedded in my brain so I can control my iPhone with my mind, never taking it out of my pocket. Sure, I can probably do most tasks with an Apple Watch and Siri, but who wants to bend their arm? The future I envision is one in which movement is limited to breathing and occasionally rolling over in my human containment unit to charge my battery draining touchless OLED curved screen iPhone every three hours.
