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Apple Files Patent For Camera Hidden Behind Display

appleinsider.com — We've already seen the iSight indicator light "disappear" behind the bezel of Apple's MacBook and iMac computers. A recently published patent application could make the iSight itself not only disappear, but move to the middle of the screen. MacBooks, iMacs, and even iPhones and iPod touches could take advantage of the new technology.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jan 9, 2009

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  • inactive, on 01/09/2009, -19/+97I'll buy anything if it's shiny and made by Apple.
  • InvisibleKid, on 01/09/2009, -3/+78Is that George W. Bush in the image??
  • inactive, on 01/09/2009, -7/+70Breaking News: Apple files patent to patent a patent
  • Zervaman, on 01/09/2009, -4/+63Video communication using a camera hidden behind the iPhone's screen would be very awesome
  • avions, on 01/09/2009, -14/+711984
  • InvisibleKid, on 01/09/2009, -6/+51YO DAWG WE HEARD YOU LIKE PATENTS, WE PUT A PATENT IN YOUR PATENT, SO YOU CAN PATENT WHILE YOU PATENT!!!!
  • doiveo, on 01/08/2009, -17/+55Who has the patent for a camera on the right side? ... the top? It's like a Sesame Street skit.
    IP law has gone too far!


  • inactive, on 01/09/2009, -6/+39hiding a camera in things has been done.
    about 3 days after the camera was invented.
  • dehmann, on 01/09/2009, -2/+33Why is no one here getting the point? When you skype with someone you will usually look at the screen -- not into the camera -- to see the person you're talking to. So there are two people communicating that are constantly looking down, and not at each other. That's what the patent wants to change.

    I skype with my girlfriend everyday, and now that I think of it, it's really annoying that she never seems to look at me, because of the stupid webcam!
  • DeathRay2K, on 01/09/2009, -8/+37BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU
  • Moodswung, on 01/09/2009, -7/+33The patent is for behind the display screen, which seems perfectly valid to me.
  • Wolfboy, on 01/09/2009, -2/+21One reason: For eye (eye-Sight?) contact during video conferencing.

    Otherwise, it looks like you're looking down instead of at the person you're talking with.
  • DeathRay2K, on 01/09/2009, -4/+23"Behind Winston's back the voice from the telescreen was still babbling away about pig-iron and the overfulfilment of the Ninth Three-Year Plan. The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it, moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized. "
    George Orwell, 1984
  • w3ber, on 01/09/2009, -0/+14iSpy.


  • TheMarenum, on 01/09/2009, -0/+14You would think JamesBondJr would be totally down with spying on people without them knowing...
  • roxbot, on 01/09/2009, -1/+13Too late. Good luck finding it.
  • inigomntoya, on 01/09/2009, -2/+13Shutup, two of my patents died while patenting while patenting.
    (Am I doing it right?)
  • MrSkills, on 01/09/2009, -0/+11How stupid it was to invent the computer, when spare parts for an abacus are so cheap.
  • Me1000, on 01/09/2009, -2/+12Apple files patents all the time, this likely wont make it to market for several years... If ever.
  • Dragular, on 01/09/2009, -0/+10and myspace angles, sadly, will still not die.
  • cl2yp71c, on 01/09/2009, -0/+10So very, very depressing.
  • gwhardyiv, on 01/09/2009, -1/+11If it is such a basic, unoriginal idea, then why hasn't it been done?
    It isn't as arbitrary as simply placing the camera on the left side or right side. It solves a common problem in a novel way. I know you people hate Apple, but this is getting a little ridiculous.
  • neuroman09, on 01/09/2009, -4/+13wow, naysayers aside this is absolutely revolutionary if they release this in their products.
    One of the only reasons that video conferencing has not completely replaced normal phone calls is because the two parties of a video conference cannot see eye to eye. We dart back and forth between the camera and the screen, creating a very unnatural conversation.
    it takes the personal aspect out of the conversation. We humans communicate eye to eye while subconsciously noticing facial expressions and body language to infer emotion and intent. Darting back and forth destroys all that. If this patent implementation is properly done, with iphones, other apple devices, and hopefully a standardized protocol so other non-iphone users can have it...
    we may all have the ability to carry around those personal video communicators that the movies have promised us for so long ;)
  • serif69, on 01/09/2009, -4/+13Only if you're blonde and made a typo.
  • Chirp08, on 01/09/2009, -1/+10Have you considered the fact if Apple doesn't patent it someone else will and then Apple won't be able to do it?

  • snagra, on 01/09/2009, -1/+9Um, how about don't buy it then.
  • justsomedigger, on 01/09/2009, -1/+9not only that.. but now we can have a true mirror desktop!
    self photos will also be much easier to take on cell phones..
  • IpodCrazy, on 01/09/2009, -0/+8I was joking to a friend about having a camera behind a computer screen a few days ago...If only I knew how to create it.
  • Chris_F, on 01/09/2009, -2/+10Get a screw driver. Do it yourself.
  • doiveo, on 01/09/2009, -11/+19*****. Now no other phone or computer can do this very basic idea without paying Apple now. The idea is very simple and the basic premise of two way mirrors. Not something that should be patented to one company. I don't buy the protective patent argument from Apple either.
  • Scratkiller, on 01/09/2009, -0/+7I pretty sure it would just be a compilation of people masturbating...
  • psrinivas, on 01/09/2009, -1/+8You are not patenting it right.
  • izolutionz, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6Oh... the irony... Simpson's did it--can't put it any better:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eqr0Pcx2GI
  • anthropodeus, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6"You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized."

    well, at least they didnt equip the telescreens with nightvision =P
  • jcaino, on 01/09/2009, -1/+7I'd love to patent the process of being a patent troll, but I'm afraid there's way to much prior art.
  • tomhancocks, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6wow, some people are certainly paranoid. How is it any different to current cameras? Granted it would be hidden behind the screen, but you can still turn it off as you would any other camera.
  • anthropodeus, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6that seems quite extreme
  • inactive, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6Thin Brother
  • crashlock, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6George Bush will be next CEO of Apple. As pictured in patent drawing. lol
  • noahhoward, on 01/09/2009, -0/+6Yes because that's all they've done here. They put a hole in the middle of the screen so the camera can stick out. Good catch.

    Idiot.
  • Mohdoo, on 01/09/2009, -3/+9For some reason, I'd feel odd about not being able to see the camera. But that's probably just not being used to it.
  • Chris_F, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5So you could send video or voice, just not both at the same time. Makes no sense considering how relatively little bandwidth voice transmission takes.
  • izolutionz, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5Exactly!
  • exquisitecorpse, on 01/09/2009, -4/+9Creeeeepy.
  • dandonia, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5How would they have a better way of spying, the camara's are already in most of the products.
  • inactive, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5I keep one in my pants. Say hello to it. Closer. No, closer.
  • Thousand, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5I think it would be much more natural to just talk to the screen where the other person is displayed, rather than talking to the upper rim of the laptop lid.
  • alecks, on 01/09/2009, -0/+5Except that those displays are usually 4 feet deep. that allows a camera and projector to work inside.
    This would work in your laptop lcd pannel.
  • inactive, on 01/09/2009, -2/+7Bush is using the comptutarur.
  • 5urr3al5am, on 01/09/2009, -1/+6"Liquid Paper" .. what is this? 1983?
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