The user interface adapts to the case
The US tech giant Apple is currently working on an innovation for the popular iPhone. As reported by Patently Apple, the company has filed a patent for electronic devices and accessories that are intended to use Near Field Communication (NFC) to dynamically change the operation of electronic devices. More specifically, it’s about cases and docks, where the user interface adapts to the respective accessory as soon as the iPhone is inserted into it.
The idea is that the new graphic user interface of the iPhone is limited to the essentials and corresponds to the respective theme of the case in order to make operation even easier and more user-friendly. For example, if you put your iPhone in a case specially designed for sports, the user interface could be automatically adjusted so that you can see controls for certain training exercises, for example. On the other hand, if you put it in a speaker dock, you would be presented with a set of audio playback controls, for example.
Some of the published images also show an iPhone in a car dock. In this case, the user would then see CarPlay and Maps instead of the standard user interface due to the automatic adjustment. In addition, an inductive charger can be seen in the pictures, which the iPhone recognizes as a bedroom charger. The corresponding automatic modifications of the user interface would probably consist of switching on the focus mode and activating optimal loading.
Apple already has similar concepts
The idea of an accessory that influences the user interface design is not new to Apple. For example, one of the illustrations shows cut-out display areas that, according to “iphone-ticker”, are already known from Apple’s MagSafe leather cases. With this concept, the color of the inserted device is recognized directly and the time display is adjusted accordingly.
Of course, the fact that such a patent exists at all indicates that Apple is quite interested in investing research and development work in this idea. However, as the magazine “Macerkopf” rightly points out, this does not mean that the concepts mentioned will definitely be put into practice. However, assuming that there will eventually be actual iPhone cases and docks that interact with the user interface, the only limit is the imagination for possible options for different types of accessories. For example, it would be conceivable that the iPhone’s user interface would automatically recognize the color of the case and adjust its own color scheme accordingly. It remains to be seen whether and to what extent Apple will continue to pursue this concept.
Thomas Weschle / Editor finanzen.net
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