Apple has been toying with the idea of a touch-screen keyboard for the Apple MacBook for quite some time now, and a few patent documents recently released by the company has revealed that the idea may soon be realized in the near future.
While a touch-screen keyboard is common in smartphones, users were limited to physical keyboards so far as a bigger form factor was concerned. Apple intends to revolutionize this by working on producing a keyboard providing somatosensory feedback for each tap. It feels like a real keyboard, with a smooth screen for its surface, beneath which Apple intends to install a somatosensory drive to achieve the desired effect.
Not only is the concept of the keyboard unprecedented, but to add to its glory is the fact that the keyboard combines the function of many different types of keyboards in one. The keyboard can be arranged in an ergonomic layout; its touchpad can be moved to the center, and its entire interface can be rearranged to form huge “play” and “pause” buttons. In all these different configurations, the one thing that remains constant is the keyboard’s ability to provide accurate tactile feedback. This feature promises to be rather useful to graphic designers, musicians, and programmers, providing them with the much-needed rich key configurations.
In the patent document, Apple has also outlined details regarding the dual-screen MacBook, how it works and what it may mean for MacBook and iOS users. While the design for the touch-screen may be hypothetical at this stage, it may also prove to be an outlook for the future iPad platform. The design is expected to compete with Microsoft’s long-rumored dual-screen phone.
