One of the recently published U.S. patents has some interesting news for iOS users. Apparently, the next generation of iOS devices may incorporate projectors.
Right now there are gadgets that you can purchase and use together with your iPhone or iPad to turn your device into a mini projector. These gadgets work pretty well and come in handy, but they still are extra bulk, especially if you need to make presentations on a business trip. And the fact that one has to use a separate gadget is something that Apple obviously doesn’t like – they want to get rid of the competition.
A patent called “Projected display shared workspaces” was granted to Apple on Tuesday, July 16th. This patent presents a technology that would add small projectors to iOS devices. The goal of these projectors is to let users control their presentations using gestures. This would be a pretty cool and useful feature for businessmen. It would also open up possibilities for iPhone app developers.
So, how would the technology work? According to Apple, it will combine a projector and the iPhone’s or iPad’s built-in camera. The camera will detect silhouettes and shadows that you create using gestures at the projected area. Another handy feature is that the projector will be able to work with multiple displays from several devices, and users will be able to swap and share images between projects.
In a nutshell, this new Apple patent means that soon you may be able to use your iOS device in a whole new way without the need for separate gadgets and add-ons.
