Published on 06/19/2008
Apple has filed a patent application which sees a new process for creating plastic-based touch screen panels which does have certain beneficts over current plastic and glass touch screen panel technologies. Dubbed the "PET-based touch pad', it features two layers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), resulting in a plastic that is thinner and cheaper compared to existing glass and plastic counterparts. In the patent application itself, images of the panel were used in both the iPhone and iPod, which could point towards the possibility of this development being included in future iPod models. Take note that a patent application doesn't mean a sure thing that such technologies will be included in future products.