It’s only been a few short weeks since the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus debuted, but Apple’s already beavering away on its successor – and it could be adding a whole new dimension to future iPhones.

According to Taiwanese site Economic Daily News (via MacRumors), Apple is working on glasses-free 3D technology with a view to incorporating it into forthcoming iPhones. The title – which has a somewhat spotty track record in predicting Apple’s future plans – claims that Apple’s developing a “naked eye 3D screen” along with a new “3D hardware and software ecosystem” that will sit on the next Apple-made smartphone.

Before you dismiss the idea out of hand, there may be some truth in this rumour. Apple has previously explored 3D smartphone technology, applying for a glasses-free, stereoscopic 3D display patent more than six years ago.

That’s not the only 3D-oriented patent on Apple’s books; it’s also applied for a patent for a 3D “hyper reality” display that adjusts the perspective of the iPhone’s home screen based on your head movements. In a possibly related move, Apple also bought up 3D technology company, PrimeSense, which created the original Kinect sensor for Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

If Apple does develop a perspective-shifting 3D phone, it’s competing on a pretty empty playing field; its only real rival in the space is the Amazon Fire Phone, which uses head-tracking sensors to present the user with a faux-3D environment. We’ll update with more news as we get it.

Source: MacRumours