Steve must’ve completely lost it. Not content to leave the z axis uninsulted, it would appear Jobs & Friends are still pursuing ever-slimmer, nigh-paper-thin iDevices, to the point of near lunacy. Check out this new patent, which details the construction of a new headphone jack design which would allow the use of traditional headphones in devices thinner than the adapter itself.
Sorcery? Not quite – in all variants of the design, the headphone jack is only partially complete. In one version, a fleible material covers the exposed side of the jack, while in another, two small doors open to account for the protruding bit.
While this is all neat n’ stuff, you’ve gotta wonder: Where does convenience end, and discomfort begin? Can you imagine using a nearly-credit-card-thin iPod? Moreover, can you imagine enjoying it? Hell, can you imagine accidently breaking it during a particularly white-knuckle round of Angry Birds? I bet you can.
