Apple patent filing hints at a Mac laptop with a curved display

Apple has filed for a patent (number 20200049864) for “privacy films for curved displays” that hint at Mac laptops with curved screens.

To me, this seems a bit impractical (the curved part, that is). An iMac with a curved screen would be more practical, I’d think. Of course the privacy layer makes perfect sense for a Mac laptop. That said, there is the Acer Predator 21 X (pictured), a a gaming laptop with a 21-inch, G-Sync curved screen at 2560 x 1080 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.

In the patent filing, Apple says that laptop displays are typically designed to display images over a relatively wide angle of view to accommodate movements in the position of a viewer relative to the display. In some situations, such as when a user of a laptop or other device with a display is using the device in public, the wide viewing angle is undesirable as it compromises privacy. 

Apple notes that sometimes privacy may be a concern for users of such device who, for example, may wish to limit the viewing angle of the display to prevent neighboring people from viewing the display. In certain user scenarios, reducing the viewing angle may also offer a better user experience. 

Apple’s idea is for a removable privacy film that is selectively placed over a display in an electronic device or a privacy film may be integrated within a display in an electronic device. And the company specifically mentions such a film for a curved display

Here’s the summary of the patent filing: “A privacy film may have a light-blocking layer that is interposed between first and second transparent substrates. The light-blocking layer may have a plurality of opaque portions and a plurality of transparent portions. The opaque portions may be shaped to ensure light from the display is directed only to the primary viewer of the display. 

“Each opaque portion of the light-blocking layer may extend along a respective longitudinal axis between the first and second transparent substrates. Privacy films used to cover curved displays may have opaque portions that extend along longitudinal axes that have different angles relative to the transparent substrates. Opaque portions in the edge of the privacy film may have longitudinal axes that are at non-perpendicular angles with respect to the transparent substrates. A privacy film for a curved display may also include a light-redirecting layer such as a prism layer or a liquid crystal layer.”