Apple Serious about Gesture and Handwriting Interface?

With the recent revelation of Gesture user-interface patents applications from Apple, speculation about touch-interface iPods and Tablet Macs has been peaking. Apple, however, has previously filed a number of patent applications in the past related to Tablet and touch-screen technology in the past few years, but with no evidence they will ever see the light of day.

A new job description posted on February 10th, 2006, however, suggests that Apple is actively pursuing development of Gesture and Handwriting technology for Mac OS X.

Apple asks the potential applicant "Are you passionate about providing handwriting solutions to end customers? Do you strongly believe that using a stylus and a tablet is the way to interact with computers?"

Apple Handwriting Recognition team is seeking an engineer who will be responsible for advancing gesture and handwriting recognition on Mac OS X. The ideal candidate will be an expert in the area of pattern recognition, with an excellent understanding of handwriting recognition issues

Apple already provides support for handwriting recognition under Mac OS X with a technology called Inkwell, but rumors and hope of a true Mac-based Tablet have been circulating since the demise of the Apple Newton -- the first consumer PDA.