This new Apple patent wants your iPhone and Mac to be completely wrapped in glass

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If you already hate that your smartphone is clad in glass, look away now. Apple was just granted a patent that could pave the way for an all-glass iPhone with a wraparound display that could show content on all six sides. Insanity, right?

According to Patently Apple, who spotted the granting of the patent, it’s not the first time Apple has filed patents for all-glass devices. The company has been at it since 2013, but this latest patent is different.

Named “Electronic device with glass enclosure,” the patent doesn’t just detail a six-sided, all-glass, all-touchscreen, all-display iPhone, but also all-glass versions of the Apple Watch and even the Mac Pro tower.

Yes, even a desktop Mac. I can only imagine that’s possible because of the cool-running M1 chips because there’s no earthly way to keep an Intel CPU cool in an all-glass, unventilated enclosure.

READ MORE: Apple patented a keyboard with a built-in computer

Part of the patent talks about scrolling around a cylinder, like the Mac Pro “trashcan” design. That would be cool as you could have YouTube videos on your actual computer tower while you worked on your attached display.

The parts of the Apple patent talking about the all-glass iPhone only mention it “may be transparent” on the sides. It would be kinda cool to see the internals of the iPhone, at least on some faces.

READ MORE: A future iPhone might drop the SIM card completely

Then again, it might just be more useful to extend the screen and touchscreen around the edges, so things like notifications or commonly-used app shortcuts could be shown, so they don’t take up extra space on the main display screen.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.