The patent concerns a special coating procedure, called Physical Vapor Desposition, that would leave them oil-resistant for far longer than is the case with current coatings on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPad. Those coatings, which are already well-known additions to the Apple line, wear off after a short while. This new technique would apparently be a much more effective way of keeping fingerprints off your touchscreen devices.
If this patent tastes a bit salty to you, it’s because there’s a rumour attached to it as well. The rumour being the new coating will grace the the iPhone 5. Guess we’ll know in September. Or is it October now? September. No, definitely October. [CNET]
Ben
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 3:19 PMHasn’t PVD been around for decades?
Not sure what’s so special about this that it deserves a patent.. maybe because its got an apple logo on it.
Muhammad
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 4:18 PMdont insult god jobs
Andrew
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 4:01 PMPfft.. what was wrong with just using N-Hexane??
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/22/chinese-workers-apple-nhexane-poisoning
http://gizmodo.com/5477506/worker-dies-from-n+hexane-poisoning-at-touchscreen-factory-that-also-makes-apples-screens
…oh, that.
Next headline,.. “Apple guarantees that less people will die immediately with a lower rate of long term development of cancer due to new patent.”
Andrew
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 4:42 PMBTW, the patent almost precisely describes this:
http://www.labsystemsgroup.com.au/downloads/Image/products/large/4e732ced3463d06de0ca9a15b6153677-1.jpg
You know, those containment chambers with the gloves in them like the ones Homer uses. Pretty sure they already exist ;) Way to think outside of the box there :P
villainsoft
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 4:16 PMWe dont want something that will make surfaces oil-free longer than currently.
Give us a metasurface that is oil resistant or oil-phobic!
Steve
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 6:25 PMNo-one likes fingerprints, but this is going about it in the most insane, counter-intuitive way possible.
“Vaporising Unit”? Why not hire window cleaners while you’re at it.
ryan
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 5:00 AMIts a manufacturing method patent, not some accessory that comes with your device