An Apple patent application under the name "Illuminated touch pad" has been published by the US Patent & Trademark Office. There are several innovations detailed in the application, but it pertains primarily to touch sensitive inputs that provide light-based visual feedback. Among the variations included is a system that provides feedback with variable intensity (or color) based on direction and speed of the object in the sensing field. It's a possible indicator of some future advancements in the interface of the iPod classic.
The technology presented could be used in a multitude of devices, current and future. Ultimately, it's another indicator that Apple will continue to refine the user experience in innovative ways. Of course, I never had many doubts in that area. The MacNN has a detailed description of the patents applied for.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-24-2008 @ 7:47PM
Andrew Harrison said...
wow. i wrote about something similar on the iLounge forums [the post was "how would you redesign the iPod" or something similar] in 2004.
http://forums.ilounge.com/showpost.php?p=276695&postcount=7
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1-24-2008 @ 7:48PM
Ian said...
I wonder if the touch wheel is a red herring. The laptop track pad qualifies as a "touch-sensitive input" and this patent may be broad enough to actually cover making that pad a full-on touch screen.
I thought the idea of the Nintendo DS touchscreen was lame when I first saw it, but now I can see the real value of a touchscreen for a track pad.
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1-24-2008 @ 7:54PM
Niklas said...
This is a variant of the single pixel display I would love to see implemented.
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1-24-2008 @ 8:04PM
Simon Arch said...
How long before the "Next iPod to feature lighted scroll wheel" articles start cropping up?
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1-24-2008 @ 8:10PM
brian said...
-39:00
1-24-2008 @ 8:10PM
Naedlus said...
Am I the only one who wants Apple to get into household electronics? I'd love to have something like that for light dimmers, faintly glow when off, click the center button for full on/off, rotate for desired light intensity...
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1-24-2008 @ 8:37PM
Geoff Parsons said...
I'm as big an Apple fan as most on this site, but i'm not so sure this qualifies as an advancement in interface so much as a way to renew a patten on an old concept. Flashy: yes; extremely useful: we'll just have to wait and see where they go with it.
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1-24-2008 @ 9:44PM
Hawke said...
please keep future tuaw images in posts SFW...
Haha, just kidding. I know I wasnt the only one...
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1-25-2008 @ 6:01AM
mp said...
Is it me? How come noone mentionned that this feature is ALREADY in the iPhone and iPod touch: simply watch the icons in the "dock" when you tap them: they glow briefly…
this is old news
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1-25-2008 @ 10:01AM
sea said...
Light feedback from a touchpad isn't new. Surely the korg kaoss pad beat them by several years?
http://uk.youtube.com/results?search_query=kaoss%20pad
it would be interesting to see if apple start sending cease and desist letters to korg in a few months...
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1-25-2008 @ 3:53PM
naill Carson said...
I have to say id like apple to bring the scroll wheel back to the iPod touch. I find the new scroll line very hard to use especially when you want to skip through a very long. Concert recording. The scroll wheel was one of the best and most versatile features on the iPod.
Please come back!
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