The combination of water and dust on an electronic device are a recipe for disaster, which is why the recently launched smartphones from Sony and Huawei are touting the water- and dust-proof features. Now, a new technology has come up which will repel water from any solid surface, and a patent filed by Apple indicates that the company's next-generation iDevices will be waterproof.

Apple filed a patent on waterproofing future mobile devices in 2010, which was made public by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2012. With the recent release of Xperia Z, Sony's flagship smartphone, which is both dust- and water-proof it should not come as a surprise that the next-generation of portable iDevices could be waterproof as well.

"Potential for fluid penetration may originate from wet or moist conditions including snow, rain, fog, humidity or liquid contact resulting from spills, splashing, spraying or other wetting events. Fluid penetration can damage or adversely affect the components at the connection interface and other components within electronic media device and/or or the connector," notes Apple's patent application.

The patent is for a port cover invention designed to potentially protect future iDevices and MacBook ports from water damage.

A British company, P2i, has developed a "liquid repellent nano-coating" technology, and claims that it has already implemented the technology on 10 million Motorola handsets. The company disclosed that it is also working in conjunction with the top 10 mobile manufacturers.

"We're also working with all of the top ten mobile phone manufacturers. We've just recently signed TCL Alcatel and we have a number of announcements moving forward," said the inventor Stephen Coulson of P2i.

The competition in the smartphone space is increasing rapidly and handsets makers have to keep their products updated with the latest technology to outpace rival offerings.

iPhone and iPads need no hard selling; however, the implementation of waterproof technology by Apple's will definitely increase the popularity of iDevices even further and lure more customers.

The rumored iPhone 5S is expected to make its appearance in March this year. It will be interesting to see if Apple makes the next-generation iPhone waterproof.