Will Apple ever do a touch keyboard?

[L T]

Just imagine this keyboard as a longer version of the iPad, in landscape mode propped up by tiny feet.

With a touchscreen keyboard, it could also support a stylus so you could get rid of the keyboard and do some work like you would with a drawing tablet. Or it could split and have a small section at the end of the keyboard that could be used as a Magic Trackpad.

You could also download apps for it to work with different software on your mac. An app could have its own custom keyboard that appears when launched. I can imagine that would be pretty handy in video editing software.

Let me know what you think about this idea, I'm currently currently using my iPad as a keyboard and these were just a few ideas I had.

 

[Fishrrman]

[[ Will Apple ever do a touch keyboard? ]]

They have one right now.

It's on something called the "iPad".

On a Mac?
Methinks you'll be waiting quite some time...

 

[marzer]

Just imagine this keyboard as a longer version of the iPad, in landscape mode propped up by tiny feet.

With a touchscreen keyboard, it could also support a stylus so you could get rid of the keyboard and do some work like you would with a drawing tablet. Or it could split and have a small section at the end of the keyboard that could be used as a Magic Trackpad.

You could also download apps for it to work with different software on your mac. An app could have its own custom keyboard that appears when launched. I can imagine that would be pretty handy in video editing software.

Let me know what you think about this idea, I'm currently currently using my iPad as a keyboard and these were just a few ideas I had.

If you want to give it a try now without waiting on Apple, there's plenty of third party apps that will turn an iPad into a keyboard/trackpad combo. Remote HD worked well for me in the past, hasn't been updated in awhile but there's others available.

 

[paulrbeers]

Just imagine this keyboard as a longer version of the iPad, in landscape mode propped up by tiny feet.

With a touchscreen keyboard, it could also support a stylus so you could get rid of the keyboard and do some work like you would with a drawing tablet. Or it could split and have a small section at the end of the keyboard that could be used as a Magic Trackpad.

You could also download apps for it to work with different software on your mac. An app could have its own custom keyboard that appears when launched. I can imagine that would be pretty handy in video editing software.

Let me know what you think about this idea, I'm currently currently using my iPad as a keyboard and these were just a few ideas I had.

While an interesting concept, there is a reason why people type slower with less accuracy on a tablet than they do a real keyboard: tactile feedback. Further the lack of physical keys means it's easy to "slip" off of the Home Row which increases the inaccuracy. It's the same reason why touch screen remotes are not as popular. You have to physically look at the touch screen to make sure you hit the right "key" as opposed to naturally just feeling for it.

Here's a hybrid of what you want and a real keyboard: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_Maximus_keyboard

 

[Abazigal]

Still waiting for them to update their wireless keyboards to incorporate bluetooth 4.0...

Not that I would buy one, but it amazes me how this hasn't been updated, considering Apple is all about standardising the use of adopted standards across all their devices to cut costs.