Submitted by Anders Batten on
In a recent interview with the Japanese fashion and design site Brutus Casa (via 9to5Mac), Apple’s design head Jony Ive explained that the iPhone X is the end of a long-term goal to design what he called a "single slab of glass." Ive also noted in the interview that the iPhone X is a "new chapter" for the iPhone and the "beginning of its development." Tech bloggers have already begun speculating what's next for the iPhone based on Ive's comments, and yesterday the first rumor of a flexible device started to spread. For years there has been talk about bendable screens and see-through smartphones, but the most likely scenario for the future of the iPhone is the development of more Face ID features. However, that hasn't stopped the Korean publication The Bell from claiming that Apple is working with LG to develop a foldable OLED panel.
The Bell (via The Investor) also claims that Apple has chose LG over Samsung due to its rivalry. Samsung announced in September that it has its own plans to release a bendable Galaxy Note next year.
A foldable OLED display is not something from a science fiction novel. LG unveiled its own flexible OLED panel a few years ago, and a it announced new 77-inch 4K Ultra HD flexible and transparent OLED display earlier this year. The new display can be rolled up to a radius of 80mm without affecting the picture, according to Pocket-lint.
The report notes that Apple plans to introduce its new flexible display in 2020. This is why some tech bloggers believe that Face ID development will be Apple's focus for the next couple of years. Zac Hall of 9to5Mac agrees, writing that the future of the iPhone can be found in Apple's new animoji technology.
" With animoji, Apple demonstrated that the phone can recognise expressions. So when the phone asks us whether or not we want it to do something, how about we are able to answer with a nod – or reject an action with the shake of a head?"Perhaps a bendable device it exactly what Apple will need to top the iPhone X in the next few years, but being able to respond to your phone with facial expressions is also pretty impressive.