The iPhone of the future may be a waterproof device. Patent applications from Apple that the manufacturer is working on a new way to make smartphones waterproof.
Apple has applied for a patent on a new type of coating for smartphones, as discovered AppleInsider . Appliances are provided with a special hydrophobic coating, which is then partly vaporized with plasma chemically to make it as thin as possible. The film is thus only 1 to 10 microns thick.
Sounds complicated, but it basically means that the next iPhone be waterproof. Other manufacturers like Samsung and Sony already have waterproof smartphones, but often there are tabs at the various terminals. The attractiveness of a device sometimes goes down the requirements for a robust smartphone.
However, Apple's patent uses a silicone coating on the connections so there is no need to cover. Also, the coating is so thin that Apple smartphones are still just as slim and attractive could hold as they are now. Unlike other waterproof these techniques would have almost have no effect on the design, something a company like Apple should definitely appeal.
Moreover, the patent application is certainly no guarantee that the next iPhone is waterproof. It can is quite possible that the technology is not ready for mass production, or that Apple wants to capture the idea without myself to do something with it. But it seems at least on the iPhone in the future, maybe a tough phone is going to be.