Newspapers have two forms when it comes to digital reading, apps and replica editions. Apple is betting on the future of flexible displays with strong media enhancements for sharing the stories that matter the most.
The device – first spotted by Patently Apple – could be used to try and replicate the experience of reading a printed newspaper or magazine but on a large flexible digital display that could be updated periodically and wirelessly.
Apple indicates in the patent filing that its digital periodical is double-sided, so users can read both sides of a magazine. It’s also flexible, so it can be held like a newspaper. The filing shows that the screen can be rolled up for portability.
Apple is betting that flexible screens are the future of news and but this technology can also be used for advertising in their retail stores. Instead of posters and cardboard cut outs, the digital paper can be employed to connect up to Apple servers and dynamically change the content on the fly.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
