Tech giant patents camera design that could fit in the Apple Watch

According to sources, Apple filed a patent last September for the design of a 2mm-long camera that would  be able to capture sharp, high-resolution images. This, the patent said, "would make the camera suitable for use in small devices," but didn't specify which of Apple's devices this might be.

There is already speculation from 9to5Mac'sMark Gurman that the next version of the Apple Watch is expected to come with a camera so people can make FaceTime calls.

However there's no actual proof that this patent is for an Apple Watch camera. The reality is Apple is continually trying to make all of its products slimmer. The protruding camera lens on the back of the iPhone 6 actually prevents it from lying flat, and disrupts the clean lines of the rest of the phone's design. Apple has even hidden the lens in previous promotional images.

Some say it could be that Apple is trying to make as small a camera as possible so as not to affect the design of the Apple Watch too much.

Evidence suggests however that Apple doesn't always create the products it patents, though, and the camera expected to be in the Apple Watch 2 could always be pushed back to a later model, or not exist at all.

Sources say the camera is diffraction-limited with a small spot size, meaning that small pixels can be used in the curved photosensor to create high-quality images.