Last month it was revealed the as-yet-unannounced Apple Car might come with windows that automatically change their tint, but similar technology has been pushed even further and it’s been revealed the next generation of Apple Watch bands could change colour or even shape. While none of this has been confirmed by Apple, filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by the Cupertino-based tech giant reveal some incredible technology that could be in the product pipeline.
First reported by Patently Apple, the patent filing is for a type of electrochromic fabric (a similar technology to BMW’s colour-changing paint) featuring three distinct stripes that would allow a watch band to change colour as its user desires, allowing for personal customisation such as matching the colour of your strap with an outfit. Not only would this mean you won’t need to buy multiple straps for your smartwatch, but the different colours could also be linked to alerts or notifications, with the band possibly changing colour to indicate a message or an alarm.
The other exciting element of this patent filing is that the watch band conductor could feature a shape memory alloy, which could change shape when voltage is applied to it. This opens up the possibility of your Apple Watch band delivering haptic feedback notifications in addition to changing colour, turning the band into a truly functional piece of technology (or even a screenless Whoop-style device) rather than simply a way to secure your watch to your wrist. If you’re keen to dig deeper, check out Apple’s granted patent US 11586153 B1.
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