Apple patent hints at "advanced multitouch," iPhone copy / paste

Although the MacBook Air's multitouch trackpad is pretty nifty, it looks like Apple has even grander plans in store -- a recent patent filing describes the MBA's current features as "Basic Multitouch" and contains descriptions of "Advanced" touch operations like system control, file management and browser navigation. While the filing details using a combination of the thumb and two fingers to cut, copy and paste -- something that seems awfully relevant to that little iPhone thing Apple sells -- what we're most intrigued by is the description of the "side pinky swipe" to control system functions like volume and screen brightness. Since the side of the pinky produces a different shape than your fingertip on the touch sensor, the system can automatically recognize it, making it ideal for quick adjustments -- we're already dreaming up lists of macros to trigger. Of course, there's no telling if and when we'll ever see this stuff in a product, but it's probably not a coincidence the iPhone, iPod touch, and MacBook Air all use the same Broadcom touch controller -- let's hope those long-awaited new MacBook Pros join the club, eh?

[Via AppleInsider, thanks Kiwi616]

[Kiwi616 @ Feb 19th 2008 2:52PM]

All am I saying is that please patent these gestures and allow for standardization. I would hate to learn different gestures on each computer make!

[tom @ Feb 19th 2008 3:02PM]

AGREE..makes me wanna set a macro for one middle finger

LOL

[pscs @ Feb 19th 2008 3:04PM]

there's still no right click for apple. duh.

[LikesGadgetsWillTravel @ Feb 19th 2008 4:07PM]

Yo dummy, they DID patent them. Which means that you will have to learn other gestures for other computers, because Apple is a patent bully.

[Kiwi616 @ Feb 19th 2008 4:11PM]

@ LikesGadgetsWillTravel

Yo dummy? I can see where you got your education from.

If you read my post it was stating the actual gesture to be standardized/patented and able to be utilized by others. Not just patenting them dummy! Read into things a bit more prior to replying like a 13 year-old.

[austin @ Feb 19th 2008 5:20PM]

hey pscs, what do you think "secondary click" is?

[Brian Ward @ Feb 19th 2008 6:35PM]

@LikesGadgetsWillTravel

"...Apple is a patent bully."

um, yeah. they got screwed big time by a certain, unnamed, but rather well-known software company. i would imagine they've learned to protect their ideas with a vengeance.

[Matt @ Feb 19th 2008 2:55PM]

How about just using context menus? I know, it's a weird idea...

[oGMo @ Feb 19th 2008 2:58PM]

Perhaps we should also stick with a horse and buggy.

[Matt @ Feb 19th 2008 3:02PM]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Context menus are simple and easy to remember. This multitouch gimickery with a half bazilion ways to use unnatural and finger twisting gestures on a 3" pad isn't simple or easy to remember.

[phanbouy @ Feb 19th 2008 3:06PM]

context menus are for mice. i think the existing gestures are great, and i welcome more. or *gasp* have both

[oGMo @ Feb 19th 2008 3:14PM]

Horses and buggies aren't broke, either.

[DorianGray @ Feb 19th 2008 3:57PM]

Does anyone remember the special alphabet used for Palm devices 10 years ago? It wasn't *that* difficult to learn -- took an afternoon to memorize and a week to become second nature. I suspect this'll be the same. On Day One it'll be novel, Day Three it'll be annoying, by Day Seven it'll be so natural you'll accidentally drop your regular mouse when you go to paste something...

[Chris @ Feb 19th 2008 8:37PM]

"Horses and buggies aren't broke, either."

Mine are.

[Sam Winter @ Feb 20th 2008 5:29AM]

"multitouch gimickery with a half bazilion ways to use unnatural and finger twisting gestures on a 3" pad isn't simple or easy to remember."

First of all, the existing multi-touch functionality present on the iPhone and new Macbook Air is actually very intuitive and incredibly easy to master in a short time. I'm sure the more advanced gestures will take a little bit of extra practice to learn, but will definitely enhance the user experience. If *ANYONE* can move us away from the current stagnant desktop metaphor to an entirely new intuitive interface that finally exploits our five digits, it would SURELY be Apple. Even the most fanatical anti-apple fanboy will admit that they are literally the best in the world at creating mainstream intuitive software interfaces.

Stick to context menus? are you serious? Context menus are the scurge of software. Yeah let's stick with 25 year old technology and not dare challenge the status quo because the existing system "works". Back when Bell Labs created the first GUI, you would have been one of the guys ridiculing the concept of a mouse with crap like "why change it? The keyboard works great!".

Besides, no matter whether any new idea for an interface paradigm ever gets adopted, wouldn't you agree it is much better to attempt to innovate than to sit back with the "ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality? Good god, I can only imagine if every R&D center was run with that attitude.

For IT pros, designers, developers, and geeks, keyboard shortcuts allow very fast use of specialized software. However, this requires a lot of time to be invested, and with each new application or operating system, you have to learn them all over again. Worse yet, only a small amount of key combinations have been somewhat standardized across different apps, making for a real headache.
This is the best we got and for most people, AKA the 90% that don't use a computer 10 hours/day, this is not an option. They have only the mouse cursor and end up drowning in menus and toolbars.

I don't know if or how a multi-touch paradigm will overcome these existing problems, or whether it will truly become the next generation of computer interfaces or will be relegated to a few select entertainment uses. But in the end, I sure am hopeful that at least some companies are working on it. And for that, I give Apple big props!

[Phoenix @ Feb 19th 2008 2:55PM]

Ohh, boy. I'd love to try and use 4 fingers and my thumb on an iPhone

[phanbouy @ Feb 19th 2008 2:57PM]

so that when you do that in public people will stare at you less?

[Phoenix @ Feb 19th 2008 3:13PM]

What?

That was sarcasm. It would just make you look stupid and would be impossible to control properly

[phanbouy @ Feb 19th 2008 3:15PM]

i guess you missed my feeling-up-an-iphone-in-public joke

[Phoenix @ Feb 19th 2008 3:28PM]

I thought it was some kind of wanking joke O.o'

I'm not an apple fanboy and I don't like the iPhone. Well that's not true. It works, it's just overhyped and overpriced, using mostly old-ish technology.

but I certainly wouldn't feel one up, in public or elsewhere.

[Ellianth @ Feb 19th 2008 2:59PM]

:cough: gimmick :cough:

And copy and paste can be yours all for the low low price of a 20 dollar upgrade! I agree with Matt. Is there a reason why they can't just use a context menu?

[Anton @ Feb 19th 2008 3:07PM]

Copy & Pasting since 300BC

[BobbyW @ Feb 19th 2008 3:09PM]

Someone should start a blog tracking how many of these unearthed patents end up in products.

[Joel Stephen @ Feb 19th 2008 3:20PM]

Yet again the iphone/itouch reminds me of the Onyx

[Tim @ Feb 19th 2008 3:29PM]

I know a three fingered iphone user who is NOT going to be happy with this.

[whowhatme @ Feb 20th 2008 11:04AM]

dammit, i never should have bet my pinky on that stupid iPhone market share bet.

[Shmapple @ Feb 19th 2008 3:35PM]

And you thought Bluetooth headsets looked nerdy. . . Sign-language-like gestures to your gadget FTW!!!

[phanbouy @ Feb 19th 2008 3:39PM]

dude.. Jack Bauer's evil brother wore one; and he looked kinda menacing or something

[Shmapple @ Feb 19th 2008 3:45PM]

Cut and paste with "advanced multi-touch" = fun
Same gesture with your hand in a sock = sock puppet = not fun?

[kyamon @ Feb 19th 2008 3:55PM]

I bet this is not for the iPhone or iTouch. It will certainly be implemented there but it will be of moderate use at best..

Aren't we all waiting for the tablet mac? All these gestures are only a preparation for the big touch pad, I am sure. And I am also sure that they will implement a beautifully new type of UI for that one, too!

Can't wait...

[Adeel Shafqat @ Feb 19th 2008 3:56PM]

All this multi touch nonsense is utterly useless. I have a winmo 5 phone and I got suckered into buying an iphone, i hate using the iphone, flicking thru millions of contacts to get to someone whose name begings with M is not my idea of fun.
Especially in notebooks, how useful could this be? We either use mice and if we're on the go keyboard shortcuts work much faster anyway. Apple and their dumbing down of everything is sooo American (no offense just a commonly held perception in Europe).
Apple products are pretty, the more effeminate breed of gadgets, I'd take a good ol hair Winmo anytime.

[phanbouy @ Feb 19th 2008 3:58PM]

um.. you do know there's a vertical alphabet shortcut to the right side of the contacts list right?

[ytsejam_ @ Feb 19th 2008 4:15PM]

@phanbouy
did it ever occur to you that if you have more than 50 contacts in each letter in the alphabet, you will still be scrolling through a long list of say M entries, even if you punch that iphone mini alphabet of yours? oh.. i forgot.. iphone fanboys don't have much friends and contacts to call.. that explains the short contacts lists..

[phanbouy @ Feb 19th 2008 4:31PM]

lol you're a nasty little bugger huh? just pointing out a feature. maybe you should have < 26 * 50 contacts huh? or try using the favorites list. nice try starting a fanboy war though, MS fanboy.

[phanbouy @ Feb 19th 2008 5:30PM]

and adeel, you really should stop adding random names from the phonebook just to impress others with your size. (of contacts). p.s. if you got "suckered" into buying one guess you're not too bright in the first place, eh? don't take your buyer's remorse out on others.

[Dood @ Feb 19th 2008 5:56PM]

@ytsejam_ ever heard of contact groups? sheesh - get organized little fella!

[ytsejam_ @ Feb 19th 2008 4:03PM]

these finger gestures are starting to get tiring.. the zooming/pinching and paning/sliding actions are great ideas because those gestures really somehow mimics the gestures that should be done in real life.. but c'mon, 3 finger spread and 3 finger pinch? what does it have to do with copy and paste? swipe up for undo - huh? CCW rotate to cancel and CW to select all - say what? how can you even remember those? i agree.. just a damn right click context menu is enough.. easy, FAST and MORE INTUITIVE.. even universal keyboard shortcuts can do better job.. since these gestures are TEXT EDITING GESTURES - meaning you have your 6-10 fingers occupying the keyboard, it is more likely that using command+V or command+C is a HELL LOT faster and easier than reaching for the PAD and do some 3 finger acrobatics..

[Me @ Feb 19th 2008 4:22PM]

Maybe the 3 finger spread/3 finger pinch thing is like picking something up and putting it back down...hummmmm, thats kinda like what you do when you copy paste. Amazing!?!?!

[rob @ Feb 19th 2008 4:26PM]

Hum...what about a foot switch

[highjumpman @ Feb 19th 2008 5:03PM]

Way too complicated for my liking! Somehow goes against the whole intuitive interface thingy. Wait, wasn't that the iPhone's killer feature? And this diagram somehow reminds me of those old Grafitti charts...

[dsevil @ Feb 19th 2008 5:16PM]

How is this things supposed to differentiate between THUMB + 3 FINGERS and 4 FINGERS anyway? What if I'm some deformed mutant with an oversized middle finger?

[Eddiettr @ Feb 19th 2008 5:23PM]

Anyone know if the hardware used in the iPhone, iPod Touch, MacBook Air could support this, or would it mean a hardware upgrade too?

[eldanny @ Feb 19th 2008 5:54PM]

i guess amputees are out of luck... :(

[Adeel Shafqat @ Feb 19th 2008 6:04PM]

Phanbouy you are not helping your cause, it so happens that some of us do have friends outside of Apple forums ;)
I know about the alphabet shortcut but it still doesn't cut the mustard for me.
P.S. I got suckered cuz I acknowledge that the iPhone was a significant step forward in terms of Cell phone UIs, I just had to try it first hand. I consider it a worth wile investment, if for no other reason, than to learn it is best to stay away from Apple products in the future :D

[phanbouy @ Feb 19th 2008 6:19PM]

hey buddy, my only causing is busting the FUD. next time, "try it out" in the store instead of starting more cliched fanboy wars. good luck on the mustard thing though

[phanbouy @ Feb 19th 2008 6:19PM]

correction, "my only cause".

[Chris @ Feb 19th 2008 8:44PM]

Why doesn't it cut the mustard? Also, what's wrong with sorting contacts into groups? The iPhone does have shortcomings but your reasons for not liking it are utterly stupid IMHO.

[jibba jabba @ Feb 19th 2008 6:43PM]

what happens when you slide the pointer, middle and pinky fingers across the trackpad? will the mac book squeal with delight?

[jibba jabba @ Feb 19th 2008 6:46PM]

What if you slide the pointer, middle and picky fingers across the trackpad... will the mac book squeal with delight?

[bot @ Feb 19th 2008 7:12PM]

I see alot of greasy screens in the future..