Apple Potentially Experimenting with Smart Fabric Technology

CUPERTINO, Calif-Apple lands a patent for what could potentially be a smart fabric prototype. Electronics news publication Boy Genius Report (BGR) says the company was awarded a patent this month for what’s described as an “ornamental design for a fabric.”

The patent, titled merely “Fabric,” offers little detail on what the design is for, simply stating, “The dot-dash broken lines surrounding the figure depict the boundaries of the claim and form no part thereof. The figure is illustrated to show contrasting appearance. Areas of the fabric that appear in gray, dark gray and white represent areas with contrasting appearances.”

Image from Apple’s patent filing. (Image courtesy U.S. Patent Office) 

BGR, however, suggests that the pattern could dictate a smart fabric with components found in smart devices, such as nanoelectronics and fiber optics.

“[The components] would be embedded in conductive or semiconductive threads and yarns,” the report explains. “The intelligent fabric would be able to respond to pressure and touch and detect environmental changes.”

Though there aren’t any official plans for Apple-related apparel, BGR points out that the fabric could be used in accessories targeting products like iPads, Apple watches, and Apple TV.
To read the full report, visit https://bgr.com/2019/01/03/apple-smart-fabric-technology-in-development-for-future-products/.