Apple Looking At Carbon Fiber For The Next iPad

Based on a new patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week, Apple has been playing around with the idea of using carbon fiber for a little extra strength protection for their mobile devices. And, if the application is any indicator, Apple may be thinking that the iPad could be the first device to feature the new, reinforced housing.

The new patent app is entitled "Reinforced Device Housing," and it describes in detail an outer housing for an electronic device, or devices, composed of "layered fiber-in-matrix type material." This includes CFRP, or Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer. As we said above, if the application is any indicator as to what Apple is thinking, that illustration you see above is obviously very similar to the iPad, Apple's tablet device.

The application points out that current generation devices, mainly created from plastic, are liable to crack. If Apple were to start building their mobile devices with carbon fiber instead, then their devices would benefit from the added protection. Apple, if they are indeed going down this route, would focus on using a layered carbon fiber material, or a spine made from the same material. The iPad would indeed look good with carbon fiber as a main component to the build, and we certainly wouldn't mind the extra protection.

[via AppleInsider]