Is the Apple iPhone getting a 3D interface and gesture recognition?

A new patent filed by the mobile giant seem to suggest that Apple will be bringing a 3D user interface to its popular iPhone

January 13, 2012 Mihir Patkar

No company has done more to revolutionise the interface of smartphones than Apple. The iPhone completely changed how mobile phones looked, and the Cupertino firm now seems to be getting ready for another change: 3D!

Patently Apple has gotten the scoop on a new patent by Apple that suggests a redesign of the user interface for the iPhone using a 3D perspective. The detailed post examines how the technology could work using multiple sensors: a proximity sensor could tell the iPhone when to switch to 3D, while built-in gyro sensors and the accelerometer could tell the handset how to align itself.

Apple has also indicated in the patent that the interface could also be used by gesture-recognition: “In some implementations, the display environment could be changed based on gestures made a distance above a touch sensitive display that incorporates proximity sensor arrays.”

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