Apple Watch 2 could come with second display in the strap
The best feature of the Apple Watch 2 could very well be a strap with a built-in second display according to a recent patent application.
Apple has submitted a design to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office which indicates that the watch strap will be made of light-transmissive fibres weaved into the fabric.
LEDs built directly into the watch’s release slot would then light the fibres.
Image:USPTO/Apple
This would allow the strap to act as an additional display, notifying the wearer when they receive messages, or even displaying the time.
What’s more, the patent, entitled “Woven Display”, shows another version of the strap being used with a tablet/phone, and from the looks of the diagram itself, it could plug directly into the device.
Related: Apple Watch 2 news
The design, filed on May 30, 2014, is credited to product design manager Tedor Dabov and former product design manager Douglas Weber.
Apple has previously patented a number of designs which have never come to fruition so the new strap is far from a sure thing.
Image: USPTO/Apple
Thus far there has been no official word on when the Apple Watch 2 will launch, but a mid-2016 announcement seems likely.
If the strap design does make it to production, it could help Apple’s smartwatch stand out in the increasingly competitive wearables market.