Apple Researching Multi-Touch Skins and New Gestures

[ZiggyPastorius]

I think if they made another keyboard and added it to the line, they could experiment there...I've always wanted a keyboard with a trackpad (like on a laptop) instead of a number pad...well, I think Apple could design a keyboard that has an area dedicated completely to multitouch functionality or even a trackpad (I love Apple's trackpads!)

 

[largebrandon]

Tennis racket, golf club, hockey stick and steering wheels...

What the heck???

Mac meets Wii?! Dunno if that'll work

 

[macFanDave]

I'm thoroughly familiar with the rules of tennis and cannot understand how a multi-touch skin can be used with a racquet that can be used in competition.

The rules strictly limit what you can do with a tennis racquet. It may not have any moving parts, for example.

I'm all for creativity, but sometimes you need to gently guide the bat-**** crazy ideas back toward something a bit closer to the ordinary.

 

[Doctor Q]

Wrapping everyday objects opens up a wealth of possibilities. Curved surfaces are especially interesting to contemplate. Sports equipment, appliances, bookcovers, purses, sofa armrests, and who knows what else.

And how 'bout touch-wrapping the keys on my keyboard? Who needs a mouse at all if I could slide and tap my thumbs on my spacebar? Why not let us slide fingers left-right or up-down on any key, or even combinations of keys?

Hmmm... I tend to tap on the steering wheel in time to whatever music I'm listening to. I'd better be careful if my steering wheel starts responding to gestures!

 

[twoodcc]

seems pretty cool to me. but will anything ever come out of this? i doubt it

 

[Antares]

This actually is a very brilliant and very *practical* idea right now.

Imagine the next MightyMouse with a multitouch surface on the front end, so you can use your thumb & fingers to do things like pinch (thumb & first finger) or scroll/swipe (two fingers, three fingers, or four fingers, in any direction).

This would 1) bring the new functionality of the trackpad to the desktop (which Apple would like), and 2) blow away any other mouse!, and 3) bring more people to Macs, as this would only work on OS X!

When the Mighty Mouse first came out, that's what I kind of envisioned.. Honestly, I didn't imagine multi-touch...but instead this: To make a mouse a completely solid form, buttonless, but still have all the functions of buttons and scroll balls/wheels. The mouse's surface would be completely touch sensitive. The touch surface would follow all the ergonomic contours of a regular mouse...so it wouldn't be just like sticking a flat track pad on the top of a mouse.

I even started researching patents for this but gave up when I saw how much money it would cost to even start a patent process....

 

[Vulpinemac]

Anybody happen to see the movie "Quantum of Solace"? While definitely on a larger scale, multitouch was a clear player in "M's" briefings at headquarters.

It appears to me that Apple is truly attempting to bring Star Trek: TNG's technology into today's world.

 

[MattInOz]

Apple's patent applications sometimes enter into bizarre and conceptual territory.

Clearly this patent passes the Novelty test.

 

[kdarling]

It appears to me that Apple is truly attempting to bring Star Trek: TNG's technology into today's world.

I hope not. I cringe whenever the ship bounces around, and the crew grabs at the touch control panels for a handhold. Can you imagine all the mistaken inputs?

Touch for weapons or navigation controls = really bad idea.

 

[BTW]

Hello Minority Report!

Loved that movie! Apple is definitely the company to get us there in a practical and incremental way.

I saw a surface device at Microsoft at their client demo building. Every Microsoft rep that talked to my company asked, "Did you see the surface device?" I sat at the surface table and really couldn't do anything with it. Um, yeah that's neat. At least let me browse the web in an interesting way. I don't own a Zune (who does?) or a WinMo phone so I was out of luck.

 

[speedballs]

Copy and Paste

"- For example, a user can pinch the GUI object to grab it while dragging it to a desired location by translating the pinching fingers along the sensor panel surface to a desired drop location. "

Copy and paste anyone? Sounds like they've figured out how they'll implement it.

 

[Kevster89]

Perhaps a Multitouch Netbook-ish Tablet without a physical keyboard?

this seems like a very realistic and viable option to me. A netbook caliber, multi touch driven tablet would be awesome. Anyone agree?

 

[Dejavu]

This week's patent application reveals research into portable multi-touch skins that can be placed on three dimensional objects:

Apple will market a line of iDildos.

 

[iPonder]

Bailout

Looks like our tax money is going to help fund the movement of Apple into the car industry as well now. We've been longing for the days that PCs become standard within new cars (like bluetooth today) and here it comes. Knobs for A/C and radio, man that's so old school...

 

[kdarling]

Multi-touch skins is such a 1990s idea.

Why modify the object?

Surface wave multi-touch is better because it uses the object's natural surface instead.

And these days everything is about camera-based gesture recognition, so you don't even have to mess with the object at all.

 

[Doctor Q]

I wonder how much interest Apple has in back-sided touchscreens. Here is a description of LucidTouch, from October 2007, and here is an update, reporting on a smaller version. By showing you shadow fingers on the screen while you touch from the back, the LucidTouch avoids having your fingers block the display.