Apple has been granted a patent (number 11,112,827) for an “electronic device with a glass housing member.” It hints at an iMac, and perhaps Apple displays made out of a single pane of glass.
About the patent
In the patent, Apple says that many electronic devices include multiple distinct components in which input and output devices are provided. For example, a display enclosure may be separate from an input device or keyboard enclosure. Additionally, the tech giant says that the enclosure(s) of some traditional electronic devices may be formed from materials that are easily scratched or that provide an inferior tactile feel or visual appearance.
Apple’s idea is for a desktop computer that includes a display, an input device operably coupled to the display, and a glass sheet. The iMac could include a support structure coupled to the glass sheet and configured to support the glass sheet. Apple has filed for other patents related to such a computer.
Those patents have led folks to do mock-ups of an iMac made from a single pane of glass, such as this one from iDrop News:
Summary of the patent:
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “An electronic device may include a glass housing member that includes an upper portion defining a display area, a lower portion defining an input area, and a transition portion joining the upper portion and the lower portion and defining a continuous, curved surface between the upper portion and the lower portion.
“The electronic device may include a display coupled to the glass housing member and configured to provide a visual output at the display area. The electronic device may include an input device coupled to the glass housing member and configured to detect inputs at the input area. The electronic device may include a support structure coupled to the glass housing member and configured to support the computing device.
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