Wide Touchpad Patents from Apple

will this be on the next ibooks, macbook pro's, or a new computer all together. this sounds cool. its been there for a while so all we can do is see how soon apple could make this. its definitely been out long enough for april:D

interesting. can't wait to see what happens in April!

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.

That idea looks like it would be bad for usability. All those touchable surfaces in front the keyboard would be prone to accidental activation. Trackpads can be bad enough, but at least it's easy to avoid resting the palms there.

That idea looks like it would be bad for usability. All those touchable surfaces in front the keyboard would be prone to accidental activation. Trackpads can be bad enough, but at least it's easy to avoid resting the palms there.

They cover this in the details:

The touchpad is able to distinguish when a user is contacting the touchpad for intended use or is merely resting his or her palms on a particular portion of the touchpad during a typing activity.

They cover this in the details:

Yeah, I know they say they can do that, but they say that Mighty Mouse can do that too. It only works for some people.

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? :confused:

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? :confused:

Yes, from my limited knowledge of patents, very understandable.

There was a patent from Apple somewhat similar to this YEARS ago--with a the full wrist rest being a trackpad, but the center area being functionally different from the rest.

I don't have a link but I did turn up this image which I've had on my hard disk since 2001 (thank you Spotlight!). Anyone have a link to the rumor report it came from? (I'm thinking it was on powerpage.org or one of its past offshoots).

Anyway, remember that MANY Apple patents (like the one I've shown here) don't make it into shipping products. Cool ideas, but don't assume something's coming. And if MacBooks ARE in for some future changes, Merom this fall sounds like the earliest chance.

(Now, in a general sense, Apple does seem to be increasingly serious about touch-based computing, considering recent job openings.)

This multi-touch point input stuff looks really promising and i really look forward to seeing something from Apple designed for normal humans.

These patent images clearly depict a gecko, or possibly a racoon, using the interface, while the patents filed in early February show the hands of an evil sorceror.