Future iDevices Could Work With Privacy Glasses
August 29, 2011
The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office recently published a new patent application from Apple that details the company’s designs for privacy glasses for future iDevices. This news comes first from Patently Apple.
It happens to a lot of us: We’re sitting at the local coffee shop minding our own business, our eyes fixed firmly onto our iPhone/iPod touch or iPad. Suddenly, you get that feeling that someone is watching you. As you turn around, it’s true: Someone is checking out your iDevice. Unfortunately, depending on what you’re working on, this stranger might have just seen something important.
To assist customers in keeping private information just that, Apple is working on a privacy mode that might be included in future iDevices and MacBooks. This mode would match the glasses with specific filters.
In other words, unless you have the glasses, you couldn’t see what was on the iDevice screen.
Accordingly:
Apple's invention covers systems and methods for adjusting the manner in which information is provided by a display such that only an authorized user having an appropriate filter could view the displayed information. In some embodiments, this is directed to simultaneously displaying different sets of information such that the different users could simultaneously and independently view different sets of information.Patently Apple suggests that this type of technology wouldn’t just benefit those that want to protect important data from being viewed by others. In addition, it could be used for playing multi-player games. Finally, the glasses could be used to view 3D content as well, meaning they could benefit developers too. We’ll keep you updated on this patent and how it may play a role in future Apple products. In the meantime, we'd love to know your thoughts on this.
