Apple received a patent earlier this month from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) titled “Watch Having A Release Mechanism.” The patent (US-11571048-B1) details a method that allows Apple Watch users to have access to a camera located on the bottom of the device. The patent envisions a special watch band with a quick-release feature that would allow the watch to easily be disconnected from the band allowing the user to take pictures and videos with the rear-facing camera.
The patent notes that the watch would attach to the nest portion of the band using a releasable attachment such as a latch or a magnet. This would allow “the watch housing to be removed from the nest portion without a need to remove the entire watch band from the wrist…”
Image from the patent showing how a camera on the bottom of the Apple Watch would be accessed by users
If you’re wondering whether a smartwatch has ever been equipped with a camera out of the box, the Samsung Gear 2 featured a 1.9MP camera which didn’t impress those who owned the timepiece. Samsung has yet to include a camera with any of its subsequent watches.
