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Apple Developing Backlit Trackpad?
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now we are talking! this is the kind of functionality i would like to see on the trackpad. launch applications, open some documents or number pad or other such things.
ooh, lots and lots of possibilities here. maybe it could have an outline around the outside, and then give a faint light around whatever is contacting the trackpadso if I had my finger on it, it would give a glow around my finger. At first it seems oh so gimmicky, but somebody will come up with uses for it. Like an iSpazz for your trackpad! Sounds promising.
Realistically, how often does someone experience a keyboard failure? More often than not, something on the logic board fails.
Nobody is going to move away from mechanical keyboards until the "digital" keyboards give some kind of tactile feedback. There's a phone out there, I think it's a samsung, where the buttons are actually on the screen, and when you "press" it, the vibrator works in conjunction with another movement device and it fools you into thinking that you pushed a physical button in a certain spot. Something like that would definitely help us move away from mechanical keyboards. Another thing is, absolutely smooth surfaces would be hard to type on, cuz, for me anyway, the way I find the correct keys is to feel around for it, even for a fraction of a split second. Without a physical feel for the location, and actual tactile feedback, "digital" keyboards, I think, won't take off.
Didn't read all the posts, so if this has already been stated then I apologize.
This would actually be very, very cool - and really increase the touchability of their laptops.
Now all they need is touch pads with _tactile_ feedback and they would be all set.
This would actually be very, very cool - and really increase the touchability of their laptops.
Now all they need is touch pads with _tactile_ feedback and they would be all set.
Maybe the track pad will glow a certain color when you touch it and then glows another color on the spot that you are touching it? Like the whole trackpad glows red when you touch it but has a small blue glow on the area you are touching? Would be pretty cool... Not totally useful but I'm sure it could be useful somehow 
Just my thought.
Add muti-touch t that and that would be cool.
Just my thought.Add muti-touch t that and that would be cool.
what next? the iPixel?
this device allows a cell of a matrix to show color via three separate voltages each corresponding to a primary color
this device allows a cell of a matrix to show color via three separate voltages each corresponding to a primary color
A common point of failure?? I've never had a keyboard fail on me in my entire life. I've had everything else fail on me, mice, screens, computers, HD's, video cards, motherboards, fans, etc but never, not even once have I had a keyboard fail on me.
Maybe you mean something more than just not working anymore??
Using screen multi-touch would eliminate the need for the trackpad and save a lot of real state. I would love a tablet with the power of MBP.
wait... This is about computers, this must be a different Apple we're talking about.
thank god. iphone & beyonce was getting boring
Yeah, my thoughts exactly. I think the touch-screen on the iPhone is going to be huge in the coming years.
A few weeks ago we see this patent on a "multi-touch mouse", and now this?
I think (in the very near future) MacBook touchpads will essentially be tiny iPhone-like pads, as will iPods, and this new super mighty mouse.
Imagine getting visual feedback on your mouse. Icons to click right there on the mouse.
If I had cah I'd be investing it in whatever company makes these for Apple.
Who looks at the trackpad?? I focus on the monitor when using a pointing device. The last thing I want is some pulsating trackpad visualization to distract me in a dark room.
Or they are just trying to quietly patent a mini-touchscreen
Apple may just be covering their bases here. It seems like they have become more patent-conscious over the last couple years. Granted I am no expert on patents...
From the patent:
"[0056] In the case of proximity sensing,[...]Proximity detection may be based on technologies including but not limited to capacitive, electric field, inductive, hall effect, reed, eddy current, magneto resistive, optical shadow, optical visual light, optical IR, optical color recognition, ultrasonic, acoustic emission, radar, heat, sonar, conductive or resistive and the like. "
Or they are just trying to quietly patent a mini-touchscreen
Apple may just be covering their bases here. It seems like they have become more patent-conscious over the last couple years. Granted I am no expert on patents...
From the patent:
"[0056] In the case of proximity sensing,[...]Proximity detection may be based on technologies including but not limited to capacitive, electric field, inductive, hall effect, reed, eddy current, magneto resistive, optical shadow, optical visual light, optical IR, optical color recognition, ultrasonic, acoustic emission, radar, heat, sonar, conductive or resistive and the like. "
Lost/broken keys and spills represent a significant number of repairs. Just like tripped-over power cords did before MagSafe was invented.
Actually, having a horizontal iPhone-esque trackpad could be a very useful implementation of multi-touch in computers. Instead of having your arms stretched out with shoulders exhausted, you'd be able to manipulate objects onscreen using a body positions already known and generally comfortable. Change of usage would be minimal because multi-touch is also very intuitive.
As trackpads have gotten more and more functionality with recognizing user intent such as double-taps and two finger scrolling, I think an illuminated trackpad is just on the horizon, if not almost here. In fact, it would be killer and make Apple stand out even more to the also-rans.
As trackpads have gotten more and more functionality with recognizing user intent such as double-taps and two finger scrolling, I think an illuminated trackpad is just on the horizon, if not almost here. In fact, it would be killer and make Apple stand out even more to the also-rans.
I'm sure you have run into a case of trying to wake a laptop from sleep/screen saver, and the computer doesn't seem to want to. You are left, staring at black screen, continually moving on the trackpad. Not that this is what invention will solve, but it is just another method of the computer disappearing into the environment.
To be clearer: Yes, you know you are touching something, but you don't always get feedback that your input was accepted.
So true. It does have the clicking noise, but that gets so annoying
Feedback is good.
I realized a feedback problem with the iPhone today. When the ringer switch is on silent, this mutes the clicker also. This is fine, but it doesn't auto-route the clicker noise to the earbuds. I hope this is corrected.
I'm not sure Apple needs to prove you wrong, I may have already.
The beginnings of this idea has played out before, very recently.
You can switch between the trackpad and these little shortcut buttons on current toshiba laptops. (review: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3221&review=Qosmio+G35-AV650)
I personally think that getting this kind of feedback is great. It will be interesting to see how/if they use this.