Apple's latest patent application may signal a new standard in mobile technology as the company works to incorporate 3D eye-tracking into the graphical user interface of future iPhones and iPads.

The tech giant's recently submitted patent applications suggest an interest in bringing the motion-tracking capabilities seen in modern video games to mobile platforms. By combining these innovations with facial recognition technology, a mobile device would be able to identify specific users or track their movements. This could be applied to diverse pursuits, from digital photography and video gaming to biometrics and surveillance.

"With information regarding lighting conditions in the user's environment, the position of the user's eyes and a continuous 3D frame-of-reference for the display of the electronic device, more realistic virtual 3D depictions of the objects on the device's display may be created and interacted with by the user," the application abstract stated.

According to Patently Apple, these 3D capabilities could be a central feature of the upcoming iPad 3 and may help push the device further into the health IT community on the strength of realistic brain scan displays and other unique capabilities.