Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone might have some bendable company. A newly uncovered patent titled “Stretchable Display” hints at screens that could wrap around curved surfaces while maintaining standard OLED functionality.
The patent, spotted by AppleInsider, doesn’t name specific devices, but the potential applications are tantalizing. Picture a HomePod with a display curving elegantly around its top, or an Apple Watch with a screen that hugs your entire wrist.
What sets this patent apart is its unusually large roster of inventors – 55 compared to the typical 10. This suggests Apple is investing significant brainpower into the concept, though as with all patents, there’s no guarantee it’ll materialize in consumer products.
Beyond smart speakers and wearables, the patent mentions phones, laptops, smart glasses, VR headsets, and even car displays as potential beneficiaries of this stretchable screen tech. For foldable iPhones, it could enable the long-rumored wraparound exterior display.
While the Apple Watch 10 is already expected to bring design changes, future iterations could take advantage of this technology for a truly seamless look. Apple has previously filed patents exploring similar ideas for wrist-wrapping displays.
It’s clear Apple sees stretchable displays as a versatile technology with applications across its ecosystem. Whether we’ll see these screens bending their way into products remains to be seen, but the groundwork is certainly being laid.
