Apple has developed a new type of computer screen - one that can take pictures of what's in front of it while displaying the usual images.

"The invention is suitable for use for capturing images," says the patent. "The images can pertain to still pictures or videos. For example, the invention can be embodied as a digital camera in which a user can take a self-portrait by looking directly at a display which also provides image capture. The captured image is then what the user sees on the display."

The idea behind the new technology is to insert thousands of microscopic image sensors in-between the liquid crystal display cells in the screen. Each sensor takes a picture of only a small part of the entire image, and the larger image is pieced together by the display's software. The technology can also incorporate a zoom effect by having sensors with different focal distances and having the software switching between them.

The new technology seems to be ideal for videoconferencing, as people could actually talk and look to each other by looking directly into the screen, unlike the current system that displays the other person from a certain angle.