MNN - Mother Nature Network

SAN FRANCISCO — A U.S. patent application made public on June 14 hinted that Apple may be toying with the idea of letting picture-loving iPhone users change lenses for the smartphone cameras.

 

Apple's application for a "back panel for a portable electronic device with different camera lens options" included a diagram reminiscent of an opened iPhone with labeled parts.

 

The application described a design to let users change lenses that typically are fixed in the backs of smartphones to act as eyes for cameras.

 

"It would be desirable to provide a structure for a compact device that allows the end user to reconfigure the optical arrangement of the device while retaining the benefits of assembling the device using a pre-assembled digital imaging subsystem," said a copy of the patent application available online.

 

Copyright 2012  AFP Global Edition