If you use a laptop or even a desktop computer, you must be well aware of the struggle that one has to go through when the need of navigation arrives while typing, you have to remove your hand from keyboard and place it on trackpad of your laptop or mice for navigating throughout the screen and sometimes this process may turnout to be frustrating while working on deadlines.
Apple thought of this problem a long ago and their chief engineer John Greer Elias filled a patent in 2008 i.e. 11 years ago stating design and technology approval for a capacitive touch sensitive mechanical keyboard with patent number: 10585493. This amazing piece of idea got its patent approval in 2020.
The patent describes that in order to make your keyboard work as a trackpad one has to press some key combination to make you system aware of the fact that you want to use your keyboard as a standalone trackpad to navigate across your screen content. Other method of operation is that system itself senses your usability need by collecting data through your finger pressure and movement to change mode of operation. According to the patent document user can set their preference of changeability by configuring their machine.
The patent was filled by John Greer Elias in December, 2008 and the matter of fact is that the same name can be found on some other Apple’s patent that didn’t make it to end users and the list includes Virtual Reality based gloves, Magnetic sensors and Hover gesture based screens to be used in MacBook’s and other Apple’s product. Going by the track record of Apple in bring innovation to masses I don’t think that we could see this technology in action anytime soon. But I would love to use this technology as it will make navigating while typing a swift task rather than a hindrance.
