A keyboard with a touch interface has just been published in a new patent application.
A newly-released Apple patent today discloses that the company is considering a MacBook that can wirelessly charge your iPhone and accept touch inputs, as well.
As stated in the “device with an integrated interface system” patent,
The display component of a portable computer includes a display, and the base portion is attached to the display portion through a pivot joint. Top and bottom cases made of a dielectric substance may be attached to the bottom case of the base part. An integrally formed sidewall and a top member may define the base portion’s top and side surfaces, respectively, in the top instance. When a touch input is applied to top surface of base component of computer, it may be determined where the input is coming from, and how strong it is by a second sensing system integrated into the portable computer.
Patent details a MacBook with its base portion “consisting of a wireless power transfer system configured to inductively couple with the portable electronic device to receive power from the portable electronic device through the planar top exterior surface of the base portion and to transmit power to the portable electronic device through the planar top exterior surface of the base portion,” essentially wireless charging of a device like Apple’s best iPhone, the iPhone 6 Plus.
If you’d like to make your keyboard touch-sensitive like a touchscreen or a laptop with a dual-display screen that displays an image of the keyboard for typing input, you can use the patent’s technology.
It’s possible that the display is just one of two, with the bottom half housing a second display that can be seen through the top cover. Displaying an image of a keyboard on the top case’s second display is possible. As long as the second sensing system detects an input applied to a key that has a force greater than a threshold, it can register the keystroke as being received.
On the Mac’s underside are not just this display’s components, but also accelerometers and biometric sensors such as fingerprint scanners and sensors for measuring oxygen levels in the blood and sugar levels in the retina as well as other features.
OLED display technology is also included in a patent filed by Apple. We’ve previously heard rumors of future MacBooks with OLED panels in 2024.
These colossal increases may be a pipe dream as patents frequently are, but they may also reflect the path Apple intends for its top MacBooks in the future. M2 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro (2022) were recently introduced by the business, with the latter being released this week.