Apple patent embeds thousands of cameras among LCD pixels

Oh Barry Fox, does a week ever go by when you don't find a great patent or two? Today the intrepid Mr. Fox manages to dig up an application by consumer-darling Apple for an LCD display embedded with thousands of microscopic image sensors that would allow users to video-conference while looking straight into the "camera." Data accumulated by the individual sensors would be stitched into actual images using special software, which will probably be bundled into future versions of iLife. Since the patent specifies almost as many sensors per screen as there are pixels, some of those sensors could have different focal lengths, with a defacto zoom lens created by switching between them. Apple goes on to suggest portable uses for the technology, such as employing the displays in cellphones and PDAs, so you can add another item to the list of features we'll be expecting from the iPhone and Newton 2.0 when they finally hit stores.

[Via New Scientist]

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2006 1:38PM]

Wow has anyone here ever heard of a webcam? I love this idea, no more looking like I'm looking in outerspace, I can finally look at the screen and camera at the same time! And it's probably just become affordable enough to finally implement. Can you imagine it? "The new iMac... first we asked where did the computer go, now where did the iSight go?"

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2006 8:50PM]

#42 65536 colors? If you have a red, green and blue LED in a cluster with the brightness of each LED controlled in 256 steps, you can produce 16M colors - way more than the 65536 you're after.

Of course, there is the engineering problem of reducing all these (LEDs + supporting circuitry) to the size of a pixel.

[JJ637 Posted Apr 28th 2006 5:04PM]

40. Does a week ever go by when Apple doesn't file a great patent or two?

that's a joke right? you meant "Does a week ever go by when Apple doesn't file a retarded patent or two?"

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 30th 2006 9:39PM]

In Soviet Russia, TV watches YOU!!!

-Yakov Smirnoff, on Monitor Cameras
funny, huh?

[lulianping Posted Dec 2nd 2009 9:12PM]

Big Brother is watching you. be afraid. you cannot hide from him, cannot know if and when he is watching you.
http://www.laptopbatteryclub.com/

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 2nd 2007 12:05PM]

Big brother is watching? Nothing you can do? Ummmm. How about turning off the TV or Computer? Novel idea I am sure.