Apple Touch Screen Input Device

With all the rumours about Apple buying up touch screens and the ideas that they’ll be releasing a tablet style device somewhere in between an iPhone and an iBook sometime soon, wouldn’t it be cool if they had something completely different up their sleeves.

How about using the touch screens not as part of a new device, but as an input device for a desktop computer such as the iMac.

Just imagine a touch screen about the size of the current Apple wireless keyboard that could be used as an input device. Get rid of the keyboard, get rid of the mouse and just have one ultra-thin, ultra-cool touch screen input device. Want it to work as a trackpad? No problem. Need a keyboard, here you go. Using Illustrator and need a graphics tablet? Easy.

The possibilities are endless, every app and every task could have its own custom set of keys and actions, the touch screen input device can change at will and offer unlimited amounts of cusomisation.

It sounds like a great idea to me. I wonder if Apple are already working on it or will come up with something similar?

Physical keyboards and mice could be a thing of the past.

6 Responses

  1. Avatar forComment Author Alan says:

    I’ve just discovered this as well:

    http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/01/evidence_of_apples_tablet_like_input_interface_reappears.html

    Maybe they are indeed working on something like this. No doubt they are miles ahead of me!

  2. Avatar forComment Author Andrew says:

    You need to watch this (http://ignorethecode.net/blog/2009/10/13/10_gui/), it’s pretty inventive. I think someone is going to come up with something soon. I have to say, I really hope it’s not Apple.

  3. Avatar forComment Author freisprecheinrichtung says:

    Thanks for this update. The touch-screen technology is getting more advanced day-by-day.They have developed great gadgets so far and I hope the input device will be reality soon.

  4. Avatar forComment Author Dan says:

    I’ll stick to my Cinema Display, bluetooth keyboard and Wacom Intuos ta

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/surfr/2333101984/

  5. Avatar forComment Author Alan says:

    I didn’t say I wanted to change anything Dan, but if your Wacom intuos tablet had a multi-touch screen rather than just a blank surface, you could do away with the bluetooth keyboard and have an even neater desk!

    That is quite a neat desk you have there! 🙂

    Al.

  6. Avatar forComment Author Dan says:

    I know what you mean, but in practice I think it would be hard to get right without picking up false positives from the input surface. my iPhone works ok but you are never using more than 2 fingers on the screen at once. Imagine fast touch-typing and stylus input without picking up thigs like an accidental tap of the thumb or wrists,clothihng,jewelery lying on the device. That’s not to say that it couldn’t be developed but I doubt multitouch technology is there yet from what I’ve seen on tech demos.

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Alan Cole

Alan is a Freelance Website Designer, Sports & Exercise Science Lab Technician and full time Dad & husband with far too many hobbies: Triathlete, Swimming, Cycling, Running, MTBing, Surfing, Windsurfing, SUPing, Gardening, Photography.... The list goes on.

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