Apple's Latest Audio Patent Points To A Thinner iPhone 6

Future iPhones and iPads might be able to be thinner without sacrificing sound quality, according to a patent filing that was first noticed by Patently Apple.

The audio patent, which was given the thumbs up today by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, relates the iPhone's speaker technology.

It describes a magnetic piston used to produce sound in devices with limited space.

Apple noted in the filing that the technology was especially advantageous for thin phones with speakers.

Of course, there's no way to know whether or not Apple plans to incorporate this tech into the next iPhone, but the patent does give us some insight into Apple's thinking about future products.

The company buys and files patents all the time and that doesn't necessarily mean it will use them in products that make it to consumers.

But if the so-called iPhone 6 ends up thinner than its predecessors, we'll know the rumor mill was right.