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In an undeniable act of God, Apple have been granted a patent to introduce a new infrared system which can block the capability of smartphones to capture photos or videos wherever they’re erected, such as restricted areas or, wait for it, live music events.

The patent involves various infrared emitters being installed in a specific area which may be at risk of being visually recorded. Apparently this encoder can generate  infrared signals with encoded data that includes commands to “disable” the recording functions of devices. Did you get all that?

However, this technology won’t just be used to rightfully crush the hearts of all those glued to their phones during a gig, but also to inform the good-natured, enthusiastic general public. Apparently, if one places their phone near a certain object these same encoded infrared signals can also provide information about that same object. Needless to say, museums and art galleries the world over have already scrambled to utilise this tech.

Whilst this patent has only been granted within the last 24 hours, it has been a tireless work in progress for Apple since the technology giant first applied for it back in 2011.

Even if these methods appear somewhat authoritarian in their utilisation, and infrared still seems like a rather antiquated technology, if this is what it takes to finally get people off their damn phones and start watching live music with their own eyes again, then where’s the issue?

  • Words: Vincent Dwyer

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