Apple Patent Uses Tablet for All Input

What’s Apple working on now? A new patent application trashes the mouse-and-keyboard input systems we’ve come to know and love, putting everything on a big tablet so you never have to move your hands. In the application, Apple says its patent allows “unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.”

There are a few interesting things Apple is cooking here. The system distinguishes palms from fingers, and reads proximity to various sensors to anticipate how you’re planning to use the touch screen. In doing so, the device would know whether you’re typing, using your finger to control a cursor, handwriting or using multi-touch gestures. Apple specifies that the user can manipulate objects on screen with two hands at a time, performing rotation and scaling of documents. Tactile key or hand position feed back is also mentioned, possibly creating a way to type without looking at the keyboard. Neater still, Apple says its patent would detect the size of the users hands and create a comfortable, ergonomic experience accordingly.

It’s not clear exactly what the end product will be, as Apple is merely describing an input method, and not an entire device. One thing I’m wondering: How will those hunt-and-peck typists be affected? [via AppleInsider and Electronista]