Apple hints at a curvier Apple Watch in new patent

You can’t have an Apple Watch without an iPhone, but that may not always be the case. A newly published patent hints at possible plans for a curvier smartwatch that unrolls to double as your main mobile device.

The patent, which was filed late last year, describes a “bi-stable spring with flexible display” designed for some sort of wearable device. Based on images included with the filing, it looks like the new gadget could be one long screen that wraps around your wrist. Apple adds that the design would make it possible to wear the device “in a number of convenient locations.”

Interestingly, Apple actually published a very similar patent back in 2013. Since then the company’s made a few updates and added several images, though the basic idea hasn’t changed much. Hopefully that means the basic concept is still being considered by Cupertino.

We still don’t expect Apple to implement any of these idea in time for the Apple Watch 2, but maybe in a few years the company’s technology can catch up with its crazier ideas.