Apple Investigating Multi-Touch Display for Magic Mouse, Haptic Feedback for Virtual

[jsalzer]

Non-Apple Number Pad

Why on earth would you put a Num Lock key on the mouse?

The bigger question is why on earth they would draw a mockup with a number pad that doesn't use the Apple number pad layout. As a long-time Mac user, this layout drives me batty, as I end up typing social security numbers as 123+45+6789 and phone numbers as 815+123+4567.

Does anyone really need the + key to take up 2 spaces? Must be the same people who need a Num Lock key.

 

[Obese Lobsters]

This looks like a fake patent. Why would they bring the scroll ball back?

 

[karsten]

Exactly! There's too many issues already with the stray capacitance as it is.

Rather see that issue addressed first. Besides The mouse surface area is just too small for all these features.

i'd agree. i keep count sometimes, and between 20 and 30 % of my clicks are mis-registered. granted i'm using BTT but still the mouse is pretty flaky.

 

[Ravager]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8B117)

My first thought was: Great... but what about the visually impairs?

I tried quoting with my iPod but I think I failed. Anyway, if Apple does turn to this for all of their computers then I can guarantee that the visually impaired will never consider buying a Apple product again. I constantly brag about how accessible Macs are to the other blind people I talk with but this would kill that. They might as well kill off Voice Over if they go that route at least that would be one less project to put money into. Eh, I really like my MacBook, the money it saves me on accessibility products, and how much more that is accessible through OSX, so I really hope the total touch thing for computers stays a rumor.

 

[JAT]

True numbers wonks need real numbers keys for quick accounting work. The touch screen numbers pad would be a disaster.

Old is the key word. We can do better. There's nothing "good" about it, aside from being extremely used to it.

No, Lesser Evets is correct. There's no way to correct keypad errors in software, like you can with words, the numbers you are typing could be anything, any order. I can see absolutely zero reason to move to touchscreen 10 key. Maybe Geek Cred.

Why can't Apple just make a 5 button mouse? Seriously. Once you have 5 buttons, you'll never go back.

That's what I use. Expert Mouse by Kensington. Nearing 2 decades, now.

 

[Bernard SG]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8B117)



I tried quoting with my iPod but I think I failed. Anyway, if Apple does turn to this for all of their computers then I can guarantee that the visually impaired will never consider buying a Apple product again. I constantly brag about how accessible Macs are to the other blind people I talk with but this would kill that. They might as well kill off Voice Over if they go that route at least that would be one less project to put money into. Eh, I really like my MacBook, the money it saves me on accessibility products, and how much more that is accessible through OSX, so I really hope the total touch thing for computers stays a rumor.

Apple coming up (hypothetically) with new stuff doesn't mean they're killing the old stuff... They do use computers at Apple, so there's no question that they exactly know what they can't give up.
On the other hand, I'd really love Apple to put in more effort into making Voice Over more easy, intuitive to use.

 

[0815]

I love the magic mouse - and this seems like the next logical step in the evolution of the mouse. Hope they really come out with something around this patent.

 

[Ravager]

Apple coming up (hypothetically) with new stuff doesn't mean they're killing the old stuff... They do use computers at Apple, so there's no question that they exactly know what they can't give up.
On the other hand, I'd really love Apple to put in more effort into making Voice Over more easy, intuitive to use.

I really hope you're right, although with this only being in the "patent" stages, and not necessarily under any real development, it still could be a long way until anything comes of this. The longer they keep mechanical keyboards around, the better in my opinion (for now at least).

As for using Voice Over, I think it's pretty simple myself, but if you have any questions, I'd be glad to help out. I also use it on the iPod touch (yeah, I use an item I'm complaining about, but it's for short messages, and web addresses, I wouldn't ever be able to type out a page long paper in less than an hour on that thing). Also, for makign Voice Over easier to use, try adding the Magic Trackpad when using it. When you enable trackpad commander, the computer becomes so much easier to use with Voice Over, I almost never have to touch the keyboard anymore unless i'm actually typing something. With multitouch gesture, and flicking, and the rotor dial, it's great to use to read, browse, and all that fun stuff, plus you can add commands to unassigned gestures in the commander page in VO.

 

[JAT]

The longer they keep mechanical keyboards around, the better in my opinion (for now at least).

Apple no longer makes mechanical keyboards. Unless you are refering to the industry as a whole.

 

[karsten]

I love the magic mouse - and this seems like the next logical step in the evolution of the mouse. Hope they really come out with something around this patent.

i dont know i kind of like the sleekness of the magic mouse, not sure if i could like the image of a numpad on it.