Source: IThome
July 1st news foreign media appleinsider today exposed a patent filed by Apple in 2018 (US Patent No. 10698489), which describes a "compact rotary input device" that will significantly reduce the internal space of physical buttons Occupy, reduce the thickness of the button, while providing tactile or visual feedback.
The patent description takes the iPhone power button as an example, so this button may be the first application case. In addition to the power button, it can also be used to switch states (the iPhone also has a button on the side). In the patent, Apple only used the word "key" three times, and did not mention that it was applied to physical keys. Therefore, foreign media said that although it seems to be discussing keys, it still has many other potential uses, such as the ultra-thin keyboard cover of the iPad.
It is reported that the current power button requires sufficient space inside the iPhone to activate its operating mechanism. Although the current footprint is already very small (or 200 microns), it still does not rule out a small solution. It is understood that Apple has always believed that the internal space of the compressor body can bring great benefits to users.
Post time: Jul-02-2020