可摺疊手機成未來行業趨勢？蘋果已經申請專利大綱

Apple is working on a foldable phone of its own, new patents reveal.

新專利表明，蘋果公司正在研製其專屬摺疊式手機。

A future iPhone could be hinged in the middle, according to the patents, allowing it to be folded up small and then opened again to allow the screen to be larger.

據該專利顯示，未來的蘋果手機可能會在手機中部裝上鉸鏈，使其可以摺疊成小尺寸，而再次打開之後，還可以變成大屏幕。

The handset is just one of a range of bendy phones being worked on by companies. While Samsung's "Galaxy X" is the most famous – and has been shown off in the most detail – just about every major company is working on its own foldable handset.

這款手機只是各公司正在研發的摺疊式手機系列之一。三星公司已經向大家展示了Galaxy X手機的諸多細節，這也是最有名的摺疊式手機，而且幾乎所有的大公司都在研發其自有的摺疊式手機。

Apple is not thought to be releasing a rival model any time soon, and the new iPhones it is set to release in September will keep the same form factor as the existing line-up. But the new patents show it has been considered for a future design.

人們並不認爲，蘋果公司近期內會推出競品，而且將於今年9月份發佈的新款蘋果手機的形狀參數（尺寸、形狀、規格）與現有系列產品相同。但新專利表明，蘋果公司已經在考慮未來的設計了。

The patent filing includes a full 24 images, showing different ways the phones could bend. And they don't apply only to iPhones – with features that could work for iPads or even Macs.

該專利文件中有足足24張圖片，展示了這款手機的不同摺疊方式。而且它們不僅可以應用於蘋果手機，還可以應用於蘋果平板電腦，甚至是蘋果一體機。

If Apple does not release its new bendy phone until 2020 or later, it is likely to be late. Samsung's foldable phone is due to be released in the coming weeks, and other companies are already preparing their own rivals.

如果蘋果公司到2020年或更晚的時候還未發佈其新款摺疊式手機，這可能就太遲了。三星公司的摺疊式手機在數週後即將發佈，而且其他公司已經在準備他們自己的競品了。

It might also be that Apple does not reveal a foldable phone at all. The company regularly files patents for products that never actually make it to market.

蘋果公司也可能根本不會推出摺疊式手機。該公司經常會爲一些絕不會真正推向市場的產品申請專利。

（翻譯：Dlacus）