The US Patent and Trademark Office confirmed this week that Apple was granted a patent for a “digital camera including refocusable imaging mode adaptor,” that would allow a user to snap a photo and then refocus the image after the fact. The patent also covers inclusion of such a system in portable devices, such as an iPhone or an iPad.
The patent describes a camera that can be configured to operate in both a lower-resolution mode that allows refocusing after image capture, as well as a high-resolution mode that doesn’t permit refocusing. The body of the camera contains an image mode adaptor to select the operating mode.
What makes this patent noteworthy is that it is for something that Steve Jobs himself was very specifically interested in, enough so to deem it instrumental to the reinvention of photography. That kind of personal attention from Jobs is sure to carry some weight, ensuring that Apple’s team gives it more than a cursory once-over.
Steve Jobs in the end, did get his wish. With Apple being granted a patent intended for digital photography, which would not only cover cameras but iPhone's and iPads respectively. Why should you read further, well this was something Steve Jobs was interested in himself, it would literaly reinvent photography.