Apple patent application keeps your private display private

It always bears repeating that just because a company applies for a patent doesn't mean the thing will ever see the light of day as a real product. But really, it's the outlandishness that makes these things so fun sometimes. The decidedly clunkily named "Obfuscating the Display of Information and Removing the Obfuscation Using a Filter" details a technology for obscuring information on an electronic device via the addition of "artifacts" or the manipulation of the display's "color, frequency or polarity." Aspects can be obscured by different methods at the same time, so that different information will be blocked for individual users all staring at the same display. Also interesting is the use of a filter to decode the information -- something like a pair of glasses coming between the user and the device, which can be detected by the device itself. Not a very Apple-like addition, but hey, you never know. Sometimes the future's so bright you gotta wear shades.