The iPhone 6 could sport a seamless design where none of the components, such as sensors and the camera, can be seen on the handset.
At the moment, the iPhone 5 sports a luxurious aluminium and glass chassis, but it gets interrupted by the camera and flash on the rear, while on the front you're faced with that unsightly light sensor and front-facing camera.
Luckily it looks like the Cupertino-based firm may be about to hide those hideous blemishes if a new set of patents are to be understood correctly.
How well does this rumor hold up? Check out our review of the iPhone 6
Polymer-dispersed liquid crystal window
Apparently Apple plans to hide the external facing components using a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) window – a surface with the ability to change opacity.
An electric current is used to change the opacity of the window, so while your iPhone 6 rests on the side it will look like one continuous slab of uninterrupted beauty.
However prod an icon, such as the camera app, and the window on the rear of the handset will become transparent, revealing the camera lens (and flash) in all its glory.
Fingerprint scanner
It's not just the case which can sport PDLC, as the screen could also get this treatment, allowing Apple to hide things such as a fingerprint scanner and iris sensor beneath it.
According to some sketches attached to the patents, you would use the familiar slide-to-unlock feature on the new iPhone, but instead of sliding all the way to the end of the bar, you'd stop half way and keep your finger on the screen, allowing the scanner below to verify your digit.
This is some pretty serious, and awesome sounding, technology right here, and while we'd love to see in on the iPhone 6 in 2013, the reality is that it's probably a few years off being commercially viable.
From Patent Scope via Unwired View
