Future Apple Watch band could change color based on what you wear

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It isn’t like Apple to strive saving you cash, however a newly-granted patent seems to point out it doing precisely that. Fairly than shopping for completely different Watch bands to match completely different garments, “Watch Band With Adjustable Shade” proposes that you simply purchase only one — and it adjustments colour.

“Customers might want the power to customise their watch bands to specific selection and elegance,” says the newly-granted patent. “For instance, a person might want a watch band of a specific colour based mostly on the person’s collection of clothes, different wearable articles, atmosphere, or one other desire.”

“Some current watches provide the person with a capability to take away and trade completely different watch bands for personalisation,” it continues. “Nonetheless, this requires the person to have a separate watch band for every of the colours or colour mixtures which are desired.”

“Moreover, the person is required to take away and trade the watch bands every time a special colour or colour mixture is desired,” says Apple.

It is humorous how Apple could make altering Watch bands now look like this dreadful burden, after years of boasting how easy it’s. However that was again after we had “conventional watches,” apparently, and now we should always be capable to “management, choose, and/or alter a number of colours of the watch band for visible show.”

Apple’s patent describes the concept by referring to Watch bands with “electrochromic options.” Which means “an utilized voltage” could cause “a wide range of colours and colour mixtures to be displayed by a single band.”

Whereas the patent makes an attempt to explain each potential use of its core thought, the central examples revolve round bands which are made out of a material which is itself woven from filaments.

“Some or the entire filaments can embody electrochromic options,” says Apple. “For instance, a number of of the filaments can embody a conductor and an electrochromic layer.”

“The electrochromic layer will be electrically related to the conductor in order that voltage utilized to the conductor is communicated to the electrochromic layer,” it continues. “[The] electrochromic layer can embody a polymer layer… [which] can react, within the presence of an utilized voltage, to vary its colour, as described additional herein.”

Apple’s patents are usually centered on how a consequence will be achieved, with little or no element about what it could possibly be used for. This one is uncommon in how a lot it particulars the usefulness of a Watch band altering colour for fashion causes.

“The colour picks will be made and adjusted with out eradicating and exchanging the watch band,” says Apple. “Accordingly, a wide range of colours will be displayed at completely different instances with out requiring completely different watch bands for every colour or colour mixture.”

As soon as a band will be made to vary colour by the person choosing what they need, it can be modified by the Watch. Whereas the patent does not checklist this for instance, a Shortcut that right now adjustments an Apple Watch face at sure instances of day, might equally simply change the band’s colour.

What Apple does recommend is that the Watch itself might change the colour “to supply a notification to the person.”

So maybe in addition to a inexperienced exercise ring closing in your Apple Watch, your band might flash the identical colour. However Apple needs greater than solely a single, total colour change.

“The colour-adjustable components of the watch band will be organized and independently managed,” says Apple, “in a fashion that enables the system to show specific icons, shapes, and/or textual content by illuminating sure components in a specific method.”

So from this color-changing know-how there might additionally come the power to have a textual content message scroll round your Apple Watch band like a information ticker.

The patent is credited for 4 inventors, together with three — Zhengyu Li, Chia Chi Wu, and Qiliang Xu — who beforehand labored on analysis for touch-sensitive fabrics for a future HomePod.