Multi-Touch Coming To An iBook Near You?
Apple recently released the iPhone, which uses a technology called “multi-touch” to help users navigate through menus, programs, and even the web. The technology has been so well received that it has been widely rumored that Apple will use the same technology to other products such as the next generation of iPods.
Multi-touch might not just be limited to portable devices. A new filing seems to indicate that Apple might be considering using their multi-touch technology on laptops and possibly even a sub-notebook/UMPC class device:
Multi-touch might not just be limited to portable devices. A new filing seems to indicate that Apple might be considering using their multi-touch technology on laptops and possibly even a sub-notebook/UMPC class device:
“Like all good ideas (and Apple concepts, especially) the patent can be boiled down to a few simple concepts. Touchpads are often maligned because they can be unintentionally used, turned on by a careless gesture, which can cause the cursor to jump around unexpectedly. The patent also assumes that users typically rest their wrists or arms on the so-called palm rest at the bottom of the laptop, space that really is used for nothing at all.”
The fact that SP Technologies recently sued Apple over their existing multi-touch implementation might put the kibosh on any such innovative products ever seeing the light of day, at least until the law suit can be settled.
