Apple Virtual Input Device on Touch Screen

[MacRumors]

Details on yet another Apple Touch Screen interface patent application was revealed last week under the title "Virtual input device placement on a touch screen user interface".

The display includes an application display, associated with an application executing on the computer, and a virtual input device display for a user to provide input to the application executing on the computer via the touch screen.

What is shown in the application are images of Mac OS X with a pop-up keyboard interface. Apple appears to be experimenting with multiple methods of displaying a virtual keyboard on top of an existing Mac OS X screen. Options include a simple overlay, compressing the Mac screen evenly or compressing the edges more than the center/area of interest or simply a movable pop-up window.

A flurry of Apple Tablet related patent applications have appeared in the US Patent and Trademark office, indicating that Apple is pursing active research into the topic. This most recent application was submitted relatively recently on September 16, 2005.

 

[EricNau]

All of these patents seem really convincing that Apple has a tablet or PDA up their sleeve.

BTW: I like the "compressing the edges more than the center/area of interest" the most.

 

[pdpfilms]

I'd say they point more towards a tablet, or simply a revolutionary new UI, poised to eliminate the mouse and keyboard combination of casual users.

 

[mustard]

It is the same song & dance with all of there recent patents highlighted on MacRumors - Apple please just show me something that I can touch/own similar to either a PDA or a tablet.



Like Thomas...
I think you can, I think you can...

 

[matthewHUB]

I dunno what they've got up their sleeves, but it's going to be bloody coool whatever it is... and i have a feeling it has something to do with April 1st 30th anniversary.

APPLE GIVE ME A PDA!

M

 

[EricNau]

I dunno what they've got up their sleeves, but it's going to be bloody coool whatever it is... and i have a feeling it has something to do with April 1st 30th anniversary.

APPLE GIVE ME A PDA!

M

Apple seems to be cutting it close if these products are to come out April 1st.

edit: never mind, just saw the "Sept 2005"

 

[opq]

Is it just me or are they using pics of Mac OS X Panther? Strange.

 

[TheMasin9]

mactab

ok, now this whole apple tablet thing is screaming YES YES YES at me

 

[musiclover137]

I have to think that Apple is done with the tablet as we know. They did the newton and they moved on.

The only reason they would come back to it is if they had something great to add to the experience. I'm excited, for one.

 

[justflie]

cutting it close would be putting it mildly! i would love to see an apple PDA as my ipaq recently went beserk on me. however, i don't think we'll see a pda on april first. a mac mini/ibook (macbook) yes, but pda, no. I don't claim to really understand the patenting process that well, but i would assume that apple engineers would want to begin the process of patenting (ie submit application) as soon as something even remotely viable has been created to help forestall any intellectual property disputes (ie whose lab notes were first). For this logical reasoning (albeit possbily misguided reasoning due to my lack of patenting knowledge), i would be extremely surprised to see them putting out a PDA in april and just submitting patent applications now. sure, it could be to maintain secrecy and all that, but they would risk losing the tech to a competitor should the competitor apply for the patent first. Anyways, it seems like apple is headed in the direction of a PDA and that makes me quite happy. but anyways, back to looking at pics of the MBP!

so apprently the patent was filed in sept. 2005. all that speculating for nothing! but it was a darn good theory while it lasted...Maybe april 1st isn't all that impossible

 

[Spock]

Here it is people the Apple P.A.D.D (Personal Access Display Device)

 

[syklee26]

i think it's tablet rather than pda...typing with hands on pda is darn near impossible because of its size.

and about the picture showing Panther rather than Tiger, I think it is because they have been working on this even before the release of Tiger. but good catch.

 

[Mechcozmo]

Is it just me or are they using pics of Mac OS X Panther? Strange.

They are. Keep in mind the patent was filed September 2005, and Tiger came out in June 2005. Apple was probably using stock imagery, and didn't want to release Tiger-based pictures in case the patent was ready to be filed earlier than June. Plus, there isn't much a different between the two, relatively speaking in terms of the GUI. Same basic look, so it doesn't matter if they use the older Panther pictures to mock up this stuff.

 

[justflie]

sorry for the double post, but did you guys notice the video chat window in one of the pictures? while it could just be an isight hooked up through firewire, wouldn't it be lovely to have a built in isight like all the other new machines?!

 

[p0intblank]

If Apple comes out with a tablet Mac, I don't see it happening until a loooong time from now. Right now in my opinion it seems like a waste of time to work on a tablet computer. A touch screen iPod... now that's a different story.

 

[~Shard~]

Very cool indeed! It would be quite revolutionary for Apple to somehow do away with the physical keyboard as we know it, yet I don't know how practical or accepted that would become. The other logical use would indeed be for a tablet, however I just don't see that as being a very likely product from Apple in the near future.

Perhaps we'll get some more hints at WWDC. Maybe this is something revolutionary we will see in Leopard for all we know

 

[Phatpat]

Man, stock prices are going to PLUNGE on April 1st.

 

[justflie]

informal poll

are they demonstrating a built-in video capability or just the ability to handle a video conference given an external cam hookup? or maybe they just got carried away when including things on the screen?

 

[syklee26]

this would be a revolutionary device in some professional field such as architect or hospitals....

for personal use? I am not too sure about that. it would look cool though.

remember that nobody is dominating professional computer devices yet...if Apple can get in there and take it, expect the Apple shares to explode.

 

[shabbasuraj]

This thing is gonna be BaD-AZZZZZZZZZZ

 

[nagromme]

All the patents PLUS the recent job postings at Apple for tablet computing make the following increasingly clear:

1. Apple has SOMETHING touchscreen-based that they have somewhat serious intent to ship.

2. But I have no idea what

3. And it won't ship anytime soon (they're just now hiring for it).

4. But when it ships, I will exchange my labor and skills and time for currency, which in turn I will give to Apple to obtain... whatever it may be!

 

[MacQuest]

i think it's tablet rather than pda...typing with hands on pda is darn near impossible because of its size.

and about the picture showing Panther rather than Tiger, I think it is because they have been working on this even before the release of Tiger. but good catch.

No. Your catch was a good catch. I too believe that this is a project that has been in development for several years now, probably since the Jaguar era in '02 [Inkwell & Gestures]. A 3-5 year R&D cycle for something this revolutionary is completely plausible. I believe gestures may have been introduced prior but I didn't pay it no mind until '03.

I'm thinking we may get somekind of "demo" of where this is headed on [or around] Apple's 30th anniversary event [if there is one.]. But I'm starting to think that we'll see the vPod released at that time and that we'll see this larger [9"x12"?] MacPad [home network device] relesed at MWSF '07.

Along with the release of 10.5 Leopard, the MacPad would be the perfect micrap$oft vista launch ball-buster.

Oh, and if I hear one more person call it a PDA or tablet, I'm gonna start shooting.

This thing is gonna be BaD-AZZZZZZZZZZ

Nuff said.

this would be a revolutionary device in some professional field such as architect or hospitals....

for personal use? I am not too sure about that.

1. MacPad
2. MacPad Pro

If Apple comes out with a tablet Mac...A touch screen iPod....

Ok, lets get this straight once and for all.

- 1 new technology. [multi-point touch interactivity]
- 2 new products [initially at least, the vPod and the MacPad].

Does anyone really believe that Apple is going to limit a ground breaking technology to a single product or a specific use?!

The vPod is your mobile version of the technology. The MacPad is your home/work environment version.

 

[Sol]

Tablet Mac? Why?

If they used images of Panther I would guess that this product will be a tablet PC, not a PDA. PDA operating systems and GUIs are very different to what comes with PCs for a good reason, ease of use. I can't imagine Apple would make a touch-screen PDA and use OS X for it.

Anyway, it's an odd direction for Apple. Tablet PCs have very niche markets and it is generally accepted that they are a flop in the mainstream computer business. I'm sure Apple could make a far better product than what Microsoft & Co. made in the last couple of years but I still can't see who would need an Apple tablet more than a cheaper iBook or a video iPod. Of course Apple has a way of surprising us with new, unproven technologies like they did with the hard drives of the original iPods and the wi-fi of Airport.

 

[PCMA]

Name for Apple Tablet

Does Apple's new naming regime mean that an Apple Tablet will be called a "MacPad"?

 

[MacQuest]

are they demonstrating a built-in video capability or just the ability to handle a video conference given an external cam hookup?

No, I believe the MacPad [and ALL of Apple's mobile offerings + iMac] will have built in iSight.

They'll push non-stationary video conferencing but NOT as in "Hey, walk around and stare at your MacPad at the same time!... THUMP!!!"

More like "You can now video conference in whatever room/office of your home/workplace you like."

Does Apple's new naming regime mean that an Apple Tablet will be called a "MacPad"?

Anything that uses Mac OS will have "Mac" in it, as stated by SJ at MWSF '06.

I am choosing to call it MacPad because with how much SJ has talked poorly of the current state of the PDA and the failure of the Tablet PC market, I know that they wouldn't dare call it either.

I just like MacPad because [to me] a "pad" is similar enough to a tablet that they can cross market it that way without calling it a tablet. Also, Pad spells "PDA" as well. And of course, you have to include "Mac".

So, MacPad. The tablet AND PDA killer.