A full-glass iPhone? An Apple patent says it's possible

Will we soon see iPhones and iPads encased entirely in glass? The possibility emerges after Apple Inc. sought a patent indicating it plans to make portable computing devices out of glass, tech site Mashable reported. "Such a case could be formed from a 'hollow glass tube' or two pieces of glass bonded together. The material would be radio transparent, and the device could be hermetically sealed and thus water resistant," Mashable said. The Mashable article quoted the Apple patent application as saying some of the reasons for using glass over other materials are that glass is strong, stiff, and radio transparent, "and therefore a suitable material for an enclosure of an electronic device capable of wireless communications.” “A glass enclosure can also provide the portable electronic device with a unique, aesthetically pleasing appearance ... The seamless enclosure, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, can provide the added benefit of less contamination and moisture intrusion into the interior of the device,” the patent application described. It added the iPhone 4 and 4S already have cases consisting of two pieces of glass and a steel frame. But it also noted Apple may have to address some problems before implementing such a patent. "While the glass material used in modern smartphones is quite tough, a smartphone made entirely out of glass could easily be damaged in a fall," it said. Also, it said iPhone has so many sensors, some of which may have problems working in a transparent glass enclosure. — LBG, GMA News