At first I thought this was really silly, but now can see the functional use…
Apple has filed a patent for iPhone and iPod touch gloves. This addresses the complaints of almost all users in cold climates who wear gloves outdoors. The multi-touch devices depend on electrical responses from user’s fingertips, which are often blocked by normal insulated gloves. Users in cold climates must choose between waiting to use their iPhone until they get indoors or taking off those gloves…brrr!
Apple’s solution is to construct gloves with a secondary inner layer that stimulates electrical feedback of human fingers when exposed to the outside. On each fingertip there would be pieces of material that peel back to reveal this inner layer. This inner layer is expected to deliver the same responsiveness as bare skin.
The exact design is not known, as it’s speculated that “The technique could use either an elastic ring to open or close the openings on the