The idea keeps growing and growing. Ever since Apple released Panther with Inkwell, speculators have been waiting for a tablet computer from Apple to be announced. Now, two patents are feeding the fire that a Macintosh Tablet is really in the works.
One patent is concerning a technology of motion sensing. This patent is truly amazing, it looks as if it would give the user so much more control over the computer and it would make a computer so much easier to use. This technology can be used to activate applications and change what appears onscreen, enter passwords, and can be used to sense if the Tablet is moving. This, to me, seems like the ultimate computer. This technology kind of reminds me of Minority Report, where Tom Cruise uses his hands to control a computer. Anyway, I can see this type of sensing technology to be very useful, and I really hope Apple to use this patent in the near future.
Another patent, mentioned on yesterday’s MacCast, talks about a technology where the LCD screen pixels receive light as well as send it. Somehow there is a way for the pixels to act as a sensor to receive images, and is said could be used for still and motion images. Imagine how much fun you could have with that! Maybe this is why Apple created Photo Booth, and why the screen pixels act as a flash when taking a photo. I could also see this technology being used in Mac Tablets, and would also be pretty cool in future iPods.
So, as Apple tries to protect their hardware and software from being copied by competitors, they are also letting everyone know what they are testing in their labs, and what they could introduce. Both of the technologies in these two patents are incredibly interesting, and I see endless possibilities with the motion detection feature. This Mac Tablet looks very, very interesting, and I’m hoping Apple will consider making these.
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