Apple engineers work hard to develop a multitude of new technologies, but unfortunately very few of them end up being actually used in iDevices. Today I have for you a patent for transparent screens. Apple presents a system consisting of 2 displays, one opaque mounted on the back of the device and another transparent mounted in front of the opaque one. The front screen would display certain images that would be superimposed on those displayed by the opaque screen, if the running application "demands" this.
Sometimes the right video could cut through some of the mental clutter associated with a new concept and make it come to life. One aspect of Apple's new patent clearly describes the use of a sophisticated dual display system. In one scenario, the user will be able to actually view what's directly behind the display while running another application in the foreground at the very same time.
Apple is working on a new type of software called Viewing Program that would control the transparency of images displayed on the first monitor. Basically, Apple describes a method by which applications would use the Viewing Program to make the entire screen transparent or only portions of it so that the image of the secondary screen is displayed only in certain parts of the screen. Apple's idea is complicated and we probably won't see it soon in any iDevice launched on the market, but does anyone need transparent screens?
Apple envisions the ability to offer total transparency if an application calls for that, but could also have the rear display appear opaque so that the device could function normally for reading and surfing without distraction of what's playing out behind the device. As noted in the patent FIG. 6, one of the keys to this system is this new "Viewing Program" which controls how Apple implements various views on each display. Apple's patent doesn't go into great detail about this application at this stage of development. According to Apple's document, the viewing program may allow for a portion of the display to be selectively transparent while the remainder of the area of the display is opaque.
