On Tuesday, a patent originally filed in 2013 was granted to Apple today that could possibly change everything. The patent describes a 'spherically curved photosensor', which would allow distance between the sensor and camera elements to be reduced. The result of this would be a thinner camera module to possibly flatten out the rear of the iPhone.
"The advent of small, mobile multipurpose devices such as smartphones and tablet or pad devices has resulted in a need for high-resolution, small form factor cameras for integration in the devices. However, due to limitations of conventional camera technology, conventional small cameras used in such devices tend to capture images at lower resolutions and/or with lower image quality than can be achieved with larger, higher quality cameras."
This new technology would be similar to that found in astronomical telescopes used by space organizations. As with all Apple patents, we never know if they will ever see the light of day in our devices. But being able to once again lay an iPhone flat is something we can all agree we'd like to do.
