The display would be smart enough to evaluate the content you’re viewing and automatically switch between e-ink for reading and a full-color display for video and other content. The device may also have the ability to separate different sections of the screen into e-ink and full-color displays allowing you to view different content types at the same time, according to the patent application.
Apple’s recent patent application was discovered by Apple Insider.
End of the E-Reader?
The main advantage that single function e-readers such as the Kindle have over other mobile devices is the use of e-ink displays that imitate the appearance of paper. E-ink devices don’t require backlighting and are easier to read under the sun. Full-color tablet screens, by comparison, are much more difficult to view in bright sunlight.
If Apple’s new display ever comes to fruition it has the potential to kill off single-function e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle and Sony’s Reader line. Why carry around both an e-reader and a multifunction device such as a tablet when you can have the best of both worlds in the same device?
One advantage e-readers will continue to have over tablets — at least for the moment — is weight. The Amazon Kindle (excluding the Kindle DX model) weighs just over half a pound while the lightest iPad 2 weighs 1.33 pounds. So holding an iPad for long periods of time can get tiring compared to the Kindle.
Even though Apple has submitted a patent application for a hybrid display, it’s too early to tell if Apple will ever launch a new product with a multifunction screen. A hybrid display is an interesting idea, however, and would reduce the number of devices gadget hounds would have to carry around on long trips where a tablet and an e-reader would come in handy.
But even if Apple does release an iPad with an e-ink/LCD screen, don’t count on the Amazon Kindle name disappearing. Rumor has it the online retailer is hard at work on its own Android-based tablet computer.
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