Wide Touchpad Patents from Apple

[Aztechian]

I didn't see any mention of this in the article, but it would be pretty slick to have the entire keyboard/mouse/rest area be replaced with a touch sensitive display. You'd end up with a sandwitch of LCD's, and the bottom one could be configured to be a virtual keyboard in any language, configuration, etc.
(There were "virtual keyboards" a while back with laser displays that could be configured for different tasks, were programmable and just projected onto any surface.)

It would be pretty cool to just touch a "button" and turn your laptop into a video editing setup, or a subset of keys for playing a game on... someday it'll happen...

 

[Amuraivel]

I didn't see any mention of this in the article, but it would be pretty slick to have the entire keyboard/mouse/rest area be replaced with a touch sensitive display. You'd end up with a sandwitch of LCD's, and the bottom one could be configured to be a virtual keyboard in any language, configuration, etc.
(There were "virtual keyboards" a while back with laser displays that could be configured for different tasks, were programmable and just projected onto any surface.)

It would be pretty cool to just touch a "button" and turn your laptop into a video editing setup, or a subset of keys for playing a game on... someday it'll happen...

As a translator, I work in several different languages....I am proficient with the Swiss and US keyboard, but trying to type Arabic is a bitch with the on screen keyboard.

I for one would welcome a touch interface, which could change to any keyboard/language.

Think of games like Microsoft Flight Simulator with 8 million shortcuts to do everything found on a commercial pannel....suddenly the keyboard becomes a cesna 170 control panel--pretty fly for a white guy like Jobs.

 

[TMay]

why not the next ipod as an input device

I'm working late, been reading up about all of this, want to buy a 3d connexion Space Pilot for Concepts Unlimited (CAD), and it occurs to me, that if the next ipod has a gestural touchscreen interface, why can't it be hacked to use it as an input device?

As an example, I could simulate a Garmin GPS panel for x-plane with an ipod connected to my powermac, or i could anchor it to my trackball and use it for a numeric keypad or scientific calculator. The possiblities are near endless.

 

[Aztechian]

that would be cool, but I doubt it would happen as you would have to hack the iPod software to give it the interface you want. You would also have to hack some software on the computer side (or write your own) to take the input. The biggest thing though would be making the iPod be recognized as in input device rather than a storage device.
Just my thoughts... it would be difficult but maybe someone has done all that hacking seperately and it just needs to be put together.

BTW, is there anything out there that modifies the iPod software UI? I was under the impression that it couldn't be done.

hey...if they can make windows run on a mac... nothing is impossible

 

[iShane]

Ahh. All this speculation makes me feel all tingly inside. Anyways, based on what people have said it would look like it sounds pretty good.

 

[ssj300]

If this has something to do with laptops, which it appears it does, then I think it's becoming more obvious that the current Macbook Pros are just hold over machines until the real ones are ready. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

well obviously, theres always gonna be a new and better one coming out?

 

[SmurfBoxMasta]

Now, how do patents work like this being that it was filed two years ago? I'm not too familiar with patent workings. Is this really understandable for Apple to have put in a patent two years ago for a product they'd release now?

But dont forget the #1 other reason for filing patents:

to keep OTHER companies from using the idea/technology and then saying they developed/invented it themselves.....

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

But dont forget the #1 other reason for filing patents:

to keep OTHER companies from using the idea/technology and then saying they developed/invented it themselves.....

Yeah.

Personally, I don't think Apple will use this.

 

[Cloudgazer]

I've see npics of the macbook pro, and in the photos it appears as if the trackpad is wider than that of the powerbook.

Is this the case?