Conceptual VisualizationForget the Apple Watch as you know it. New patents discovered at the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) show that Apples looking to incorporate foldable tech into its smartwatch series. If these patents are foreshadowing the future, we could be looking at a dual-screen Apple watch that basically feels like a tiny flip phone on your wrist. That isnt all, the patent also looks to factor cameras into the wearable, giving you a tiny yet capable FaceTime device that lets you take video calls directly from your wrist.The patent, filed by Apple Design Lead Vladimir Krneta, details a potential watch with movable screens. While this doesnt immediately imply a flip-phone-style clamshell smartwatch, Apples patent document showcases drawings of one, leading to speculation that maybe thats the format Apples gravitating towards. The rest of the images in this article are visualizations based on the patent documents, created using AI. Although Apple has no immediate plans of launching a folding watch, the fact that theyve filed the patent means that the R&D branch is working on a potential use-case of a foldable wearable for your wrist with included cameras that turns the watch into something vastly more useful than a mere health wearable. But will it run Apple Intelligence???Designer: AppleConceptual VisualizationImage Credits: Apple via United States Patent and Trademark OfficeA user may want the display to be extended when using certain applications, making phone/ video calls, playing games, browsing the web, etc, the patent describes. On the other hand, the user may want the display to be folded for convenience and portability, such as when the user is going about their day-to-day activities, outdoor activities, etc.Conceptual VisualizationThe patent goes on to highlight other features, potentially turning the health wearable into a practical extension of your phone. For example, the wearable electronic device of the present disclosure can provide intuitive access and enhanced usability of features for convenient video calling, camera usage, web browsing, messaging, and interfacing social media.This description is supplemented by the proposed inclusion of multiple cameras something Apple (and even other makers) have notably left out of their smartwatches. The patent hints at possibly two cameras (like in a phone), one for external capture as well as a wearer-facing camera for video calls.Conceptual VisualizationIts worth noting that this patent was filed in 2023 and discovered only recently by news outlets combing through the millions of patents at the USPTO. What Apple is doing with the Watch is not too different from what they did with the iPhone, i.e., replace a larger device. The iPhone was supposed to be a powerful laptop that fits in your hand, and now, Apple is scaling it down further, turning the Watch into an iPhone that fits on your wrist.However, its best to take these patents with a massive grain of salt because Apple files hundreds of patents each year, hardly 1% of which actually translate to real products. If the foldable watch does become a reality, it wouldnt be the first wrist-worn foldable device. A long time ago, Motorola teased a bendable phone that was flexible enough to fit around your wrist like a chunky bracelet. Sonys even teased smartwatches with e-ink straps that change in color. Although both these are examples of products that never became mainstream, Apple tends to play the long game very well, waiting for the right time to launch the right, polished product. Until then, we apparently have a folding iPhone on the horizon!Conceptual VisualizationThe post Apple patents Foldable Watch with a Radical Design Featuring Dual-Screens and Cameras first appeared on Yanko Design.