Come one, come all, and let us once again look into the hazy crystal ball that is the United States Patent and Trademark Office database. What's this, here? A newly published patent filing hinting that Apple is working on
Surface-like interfaces? Close your eyes and let your wildest fanboy fantasies unfold -- yeah, it's yet another incredibly dry
Apple patent filing, we're just trying to spice things up a bit. The latest details a larger touch system than we've previously
seen from Cupertino, designed to be used by two hands at once and supporting different actions depending on the location of your palms. Since the details are mostly to do with the actual touch interactions and not direct applications, this is basically a nerd Rorscharch test -- we see, oh, a touchscreen iMac, maybe, or possibly a large, lap-based tablet. Or is that a giant
Cintiq-like display? Too bad, your time's up -- Ms. Cleo doesn't do free.
posted Feb 21st 2008 7:03PM
Yeah, yeah... (been on Macrumors for hours)
Nilay, I know you've seen "Minority Report". It sounds more like that to me...
whats with all the alien hands in apple patents
...because you dont have 5 fingers...?
no, I mean the hands don't look very human compared to other patnents
*patents
Joe,
Last I checked, my fingers weren't rectangular...
Dbrim,
Last time I checked a sketch doesn't have to be anatomically correct.
aliens is right....they've reverse engineered tech from the roswell crash site finally!!! compare with this proof:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/1075/roswrak.gif
/sarcasm on
What? So all they know how to do is copy Microsoft?
/sarcasm off
Thanks for warning us about your oh-so-witty sarcasm.
iPhone, on! (someday, my friend. Someday)
I'm not being sarcastic when i say thanks for telling us about the sarcasm. really, people should do that more often.
But Apple has copied our big-ass table!
Isn't that one of the patents of fingerworks (I think it was called that), a company that apple silently bought years ago
Patents will clash. Period.
Somebody tried to patent joysticks. Clashed.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/10/company-sues-sony-microsoft-and-nintendo-over-joystick-patent/
Some jerk patented Smartphones. Everyone sued!
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/25/patent-granted-on-smartphones-everyone-sued/
And a Vague patent clips Big N and Sony.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/12/sony-and-nintendo-pegged-with-lawsuit-from-vague-controller-pate/
P.S: Weird. At those back issues, my name has a small "a." Now, it is a capital "A." Yay!
How exciting, yet another apple patent. Everyone was so eagerly awaiting the next tiny bit of news about apple that has surfaced.
This just in, Job's gets a haircut, is he planning the iPod cut? Rumor Time!
Seriously, no one cares. Post some real news
Apple can go away and not comeback until they have something 100% new and unheard of
So... nothing ever again from Apple?
This is actually quite a patent. Unlike MS's Surface which requires a bathtub and hidden camera, this stands to be super thin, applied in any number of forms, and actually useful to people outside of restaurants, hotel lobbies, or casinos.
At the same time, I don't think it would be right for ONLY Apple to make such devices. Surface could become something else better later. Another tech company could bring in this kind of goodie as well.
But letting only one company have control on this doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
It says "Proximity Image" so does that means you do not even have to touch the surface.. just make gestures.. and do the control...
maybe its that high tech gizmo from minority report that tom cruise uses...
It was only a matter of time until Microsoft stole this idea from Apple in advance of Apple creating it.
Apple should patent using the hands and fingers. I believe they invented those too. So the future is touch something or make a gesture to do everything. We might be able to have sign language input someday. I like it.
As the iFanatics will no doubt claim...Apple,always completely original ideas.
finally some apple news , I had been wondering what happened to engadgets favorite fruit.
You know what would be awesome?
Just to have like a rectangle glass like surface, it can turn into a virtual keyboard and you can move your hands on it and control the mouse on screen. Move your fingers on the surface to enlarge pictures like the iphone etc.
Doesn't necessarly mean i want my screen on the desk..get rid of the keyboard and mouse and have this surface device. Maybe even something like the top image
From the picture i think Apple is preparing to fire torpedoes at attacking Warbirds.
Hmmmm I'm thinking this might be a competitor to the microsoft surface that microsoft has, but then again maybe not. Only time will tell when Apple is baking in that little oven of theirs. So far, with everything Apple has released, I am very impressed on each new thing they release, new technology is built inside. If only Microsoft was like that, oh wait, thats right, their operating system. I think Apple needs to take their iMacs and make them all touchscreen, thats my suggestion. Yeah sure, touchscreen is the new thing these days, but I still think apple needs to put multitouch in all their products(well except for the lower ipods)