Apple has filed for a patent that might usher in weatherproofed iPhones in the future. devices. Although the company filed its paperwork back in June 2014, it only was revealed publicly this week. The paperwork talks about “self-healing elastomer” which means rubber that can lose and regain its shape to keep the sensitive inner-workings of a device protected. The patent explains that this rubber seal on external jacks, like one for headphones or a power cord, would open up when a plug is inserted. Once it’s removed, the covering will reshape and go back to protecting the device’s opening.
There are some varieties of the elastomer that can protect against dust, debris, water, and gas, among other crazy environmental things, so you soon might be able to take a sick dust storm selfie without annihilating your iPhone.
Water proofing of phones is not new, as other companies already use such ports on their devices. The Sony Xperia and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active, both have waterproofed headphone and power ports that don’t require special covers.
It should be noted that this patent doesn’t necessarily mean users will get a fully water-resistant device any time soon, but Apple does already hold a patent for a waterproof logicboard; there’s a spongy black material around the circuitry for its protection. Both the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus are built with those logicboards. This means the lastest iPhones are m0re water proofed that previous models.
