[FireWire]

Hi! I'm surprised nobody commented on that already. Here's a story I saw on MacNN's front page today. I wasn't sure where to post it.. It can be a peripheral.. or not. It can go with a MacBook or a MacBook Pro.. Anyway:

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office today published a revolutionary Apple patent application titled 'mechanical overlay,' which depicts a new touchscreen technology that can serve as a keyboard, audio mixer, iPod clickwheel, and much more. The patent reveals potential plans for Apple to revolutionize its computing and iPod usage experience, replacing traditional keyboards and clickwheels with touchscreens displaying programmable images while accepting touch-sensitive input. The patent describes, among other details, a 'multipoint touch method' that receives multiple touches on the surface of the touchscreen, coupled with tactile as well as audio feedback of touches.

[...]

The invention pertains to overlays for touch sensing devices. More particularly, the invention pertains to mechanical overlays that include one or more mechanical actuators that provide touch inputs to the touch sensing devices. By way of example, the mechanical actuators may be buttons, keys, sliders, dials, wheels, switches, joysticks, navigation pads, etc.

[...]

A user can have several different mechanical overlays 16, each one with controls for a specific application. For example, the user may have one mechanical overlay for video editing, another one for sound editing, another one for gaming, another one for data entry, another one for navigation, etc.

[...]

The input control device 10 may be a stand alone device or it may be integrated with the host computing device. In stand alone devices, the touch sensing device 12 includes its own shell and is connected to the host computing device via cables or wireless connections

[...]

In some cases, the mechanical actuators 18 are configured to provide tactile feedback and audio feedback similarly to conventional actuators (e.g., clicks). In the case of sliders or dials, mechanical detents may be used. In the case of mechanical buttons and switches click force curves may be used. In other cases, the tactile and audio feedback may be supplied by a haptics system (e.g., speakers, solenoids, motors, piezo actuators, vibrators, etc.) located within the housing that surrounds the touch sensing input device.

Incredible! Just wow!!

[Nebagakid]

just like a woman... what?

[Salty]

I don't get it. Like you'd have a touch screen where the keyboard is now and use that? The diagrams kinda make it look like you're swapping in and out parts. Especially that joy stick looking one. That said being able to turn my macbook into a keyboard would be cool.

[Mallrat]

You sexiest bastard! She said wow! And I agree.

But as a writer, I'll miss the keyboard. I need the sound of the keys. Maybe they will make that sound. Hmm.

[Mallrat]

Salty- It's a laptop but instead of where the keyboard would sit, it's just one big slab of plastic. And depending on what you are doing (writing a letter, using Garageband, etc) the plastic slab "turns" into that input (keyboard, piano keys, mixer). It's all touch sensative.

Image a piece of paper and you can type on it, play music on it, mix on it but it understands your hand movements.

[Kerrigan]

Then why is the joystick in Fig 12 protruding out into 3 dimensions if it is all touch-screen?

In stand alone devices, the touch sensing device 12 includes its own shell and is connected to the host computing device via cables or wireless connections

What the heck does that mean?

[Nodnarb]

This looks awesome...if you look at the long run, and if this goes off successfully, then that would be a complete shift in how computers are used. No more mice/keyboard inputs only, it would be application specific commands on a pallatte at your fingertips. I hope this is one of the patents they actually make a product from.

[Kerrigan]

Don't get too excited everybody, Apple has filed for countless patents like this which have never seen the light of day. File this along with the click-wheel mouse, the touch-sensitive tablet keyboard, the camera embedded within LCD pixels, etc.

[Wiskedjak]

This already exists in it's basic form
TouchStream MacNTouch: Laptop KeyBoard Replacement for Apple PowerBook and iBook

[MattJeff]

i dunno...... .....

[- - e r i k - -]

It's the tactility stupid!

Buttonless devices has existed for years in the form of universal remotes. The downfall of it is twofold:
- You have to look at the device to see what you are pressing
- There is no physical feedback from "pushing"

[RedStar]

Think iPhone:

Listening to MP3's? bottom panel shows a wheel for scrolling.

Want to make a call? bottom panel turns into a keypad.

etc... Sounds cool to me.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

It's the tactility stupid!

Buttonless devices has existed for years in the form of universal remotes. The downfall of it is twofold:
- You have to look at the device to see what you are pressing
- There is no physical feedback from "pushing"

That's what I was thinking. Playing a piano keyboard or using a mixer is quite hard without feedback. But, as others were saying, it looks like actual 3 dimensional controllers that attach to the computer based on what you want to do.

[slugslugslug]

Y'all are reading this wrong. It's for a touch-sensitive surface with mechanical overlays. So if it were to ever come to be, it would include a real keyboard with moving keys, and you could replace this with other overlays that have physical moving parts. Hence the 3D-ness of the joystick.

Looks kinda cool, but I don't know that enough people would clamor for it so that Apple could get decent volume pricing on the components..

[Kerrigan]

Also, imagine having to take off the piano keyboard and hook on the regular keyboard if you need to type something or use the trackpad. Sure you could just plug in an external mouse and keyboard, but that would defeat the whole purpose of this concept.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

Also, imagine having to take off the piano keyboard and hook on the regular keyboard if you need to type something or use the trackpad. Sure you could just plug in an external mouse and keyboard, but that would defeat the whole purpose of this concept.

Yeah, that wouldn't be very practical for, say, garageband. Having to swap keyboards just to use shortcuts and stuff...perhaps if the musical keyboard had some hotkeys and arrow keys on it too.

Maybe Apple purposely left out key elements to avoid them being stolen. Who knows.

[forkies]

i got the same impression as slugslugslug, that the surface is flat and has the ability to interpret signals from various overlays (which include a keyboard for typing, board for mixing, trackpad for moving the cursor, joystick for games). Users can then swap them out at will.

[Sbtrfuge]

The problem is the touch screen is totally flat. No dimples, no physical way to tell what your hands are doing without looking. Sony's touchscreen remote sucked because of this.

[Strupat]

This is the worst idea I've seen from Apple. Wow is right...

[kick52]

nice....

its just that you couldnt touch type so effectivly, as you might miss a key every now and then

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

Don't get too excited everybody, Apple has filed for countless patents like this which have never seen the light of day. File this along with the click-wheel mouse, the touch-sensitive tablet keyboard, the camera embedded within LCD pixels, etc.

And Piles.

[forkies]

Originally Posted by Sbtrfuge 

The problem is the touch screen is totally flat. No dimples, no physical way to tell what your hands are doing without looking. Sony's touchscreen remote sucked because of this.

Originally Posted by kick52 

nice....

its just that you couldnt touch type so effectivly, as you might miss a key every now and then

[kick52]

Originally Posted by forkies 

what is confusing?

for those that touch type, they will need to know where their hands are on.. so having nothing solid there must be a bit annoying, because you would have to look down at the keyboard to see where your hands are.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by kick52 

what is confusing?

for those that touch type, they will need to know where their hands are on.. so having nothing solid there must be a bit annoying, because you would have to look down at the keyboard to see where your hands are.

Did you read this thread?

[forkies]

Originally Posted by kick52 

for those that touch type, they will need to know where their hands are on.. so having nothing solid there must be a bit annoying, because you would have to look down at the keyboard to see where your hands are.

[kick52]

Originally Posted by Gossamer 

Did you read this thread?

yeah.. i think i got the gist of it..

oh wait. oops.

[Nodnarb]

I don't see how swapping it would work. Agree, it would suck just using a flat screen, so assuming this is the "swappable component" idea, then I can't see people having a case full of add ons, presumably made by apple (meaning $$$, sold seperately), that they are willing to switch just to use for a certain application.

What would the benefit of that be over say, using a regular keyboard to type, plugging in a (musical) full size keyboard, using an external joystick, etc...It would all be cheaper and much more variety. That's what usb/firewire is for!

[kick52]

Originally Posted by Nodnarb 

I don't see how swapping it would work. Agree, it would suck just using a flat screen, so assuming this is the "swappable component" idea, then I can't see people having a case full of add ons, presumably made by apple (meaning $$$, sold seperately), that they are willing to switch just to use for a certain application.

What would the benefit of that be over say, using a regular keyboard to type, plugging in a (musical) full size keyboard, using an external joystick, etc...It would all be cheaper and much more variety. That's what usb/firewire is for!

i agree...

having to carry everything around would suck.

[loren s]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak 

This already exists in it's basic form
TouchStream MacNTouch: Laptop KeyBoard Replacement for Apple PowerBook and iBook

Those guys got bought by apple *hint* *hint*

[xi_hyperon]

Originally Posted by forkies 

i got the same impression as slugslugslug, that the surface is flat and has the ability to interpret signals from various overlays (which include a keyboard for typing, board for mixing, trackpad for moving the cursor, joystick for games). Users can then swap them out at will.

Just quoting this, because it's the main point, and most people are missing it. The word "mechanical," with regard to the human interface, is mentioned at least 9 times.

[philm]

Well, I don't know. It seems to me that if this swapping idea had come along first, and then someone proposed an 'interface' (let's call it 'USB') which would allow the easy and immediate addition of an almost infinite number of typing keyboards, music keyboards, joysticks, mice, etc., we would all be getting very excited.