Apple's virtual paper patent could take us back to the world of skeuomorphism in Apple headphones

Apple was granted a patent for a graphics display concept called virtual paper, and two things about it struck me—one, its origins, and two, what it might tell us about Apple’s design language in the future.

The patent is for a visual representation of paper in a 3D form, which is, of course, the type of user interface most applicable to the upcoming Apple mixed reality headset...

Virtual Paper Patent

As discovered by Patently Apple, the Cupertino company was awarded a patent today that brings the concept of folding paper from the 2D world to the 3D world.

Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent related to the use of virtual paper on future devices. These devices will be able to fold, flip, fold, and bend while using virtual paper. Keep graphics intact when changing angles and changing positions. View. Virtual paper can include 2D, 3D and animated mixed reality content, where the image can constantly change depending on the specific state it is in. This is really cool stuff that's being developed right now.

As usual, Apple's patent language is much denser.

When the 3D virtual content is displayed such that the 3D virtual content is limited within the perimeter of the virtual paper, the 3D virtual content can protrude from the first side of the virtual paper, and the display of the 3D virtual content is Based on the second set of world coordinates. On the other hand, the 2D virtual content is displayed conforming to the surface of the virtual paper based on the first set of world coordinates. In some embodiments, a second side of the virtual paper opposite the first side (eg, the back) of the virtual paper is displayed with a rasterized consistent representation of the 3D virtual content, such as a blur effect or a shadow of the 3D virtual content, and Rasterized consistent representation of 2D virtual content.

Two things impressed me deeply.

This is the latest iteration of a concept from 1983

First of all, this is actually the latest iteration of a concept that first appeared in LISA in 1983!

For people who have never used a personal computer before Mac and Windows, it can be difficult to understand how revolutionary Apple has brought about.

Before LISA, computers simply displayed a list of file and folder names in text form. What Apple gave some people in 1983, and many more when it introduced the Macintosh in 1984, was a graphical representation of the office desktop. Directories now appear as folders, just like the paper folders commonly used at the time. Documents are displayed as virtual pieces of paper with their contents labeled, using different icons to represent written documents, spreadsheets, and graphics.

The only change since then is that the icon is now a small thumbnail of the first page of actual content, which is a pretty minor change in the course of 39 years! The concept from 1983 has certainly stood the test of time.

It will see the return of a more skeuomorphic UI

One of the biggest changes to Apple’s design language over the years has certainly been the shift away from the skeuomorphic world pioneered by Scott Forstall to the hardware design of the time Director Jony Ive also controlled the introduction of flat design when designing the software.

Forstall and Steve Jobs were both known for their fondness for so-called skeuomorphic design. Real-world materials like leather and paper appear in software designs, especially on the iPad, where the Contacts app looks like a real address book and the Calendar app is bound by leather.

After Forstall was fired, Jony Ive took over the design of the software leading to iOS 7 and later.

Apple’s patent suggests that Apple headphones could return the company to a more skeuomorphic world as they transition from 2D to 3D.

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