Multi-Touch Pad??

Rumors seem to be heating up that the new Apple Ultraportable Laptop will have a mutlitouch track pad, and that the multitouch may even show up on an updated MBP line in January. What in the world is a multitouch track pad and would I really want one??

 

Uh... I don't know... but doesn't the MBP already have a multitouch pad? (2 finger scrolling and 2 finger tap right clicks?)

 

It's actually referred to as a mutli-touch "trackpad". I don't know what the difference would be, but evidently Apple has submitted a patent for it.

 

Hrm... I'm curious since the current trackpad was considered multi-touch I had thought.
I heard they were patenting a multi-touch display. Rumors were that the ultra portable would the display be multi touch like the iPhone, but not sure if this is the same thing.

 

Maybe the difference would be pinching to zoom in/out?

 

Hrm... but I don't think that would require a hardware change, just a software change.

 

Maybe this is it...

http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.p...s_new_patent_for_wide_touchpad_for_notebooks/

 

i want a multi-touch cinema display.

 

So a wide touch track pad that is programmable like the iPhone. Thats interesting, but I dunno... I just don't see it as being a great idea. Reading the comments, I can see the use of it for apps like FCP and Logic. However, those software apps have hardware that would be much more natural and easier to use than this.
Dunno... maybe I'm overly skeptic, but I don't see this working out well at all. I'd rather see the whole keyboard removed and something like this put in place of the whole keyboard.

 

TBH I don't see much use for that wide touch pad... It's going to be generally useless since it's located on the palm rests... I really wish Apple would stop beating around the bush and make a tablet notebook already. I mean, it seems very logical as Macs are widely used in design industries....

 

from the info available they have actually thought this out very well, this is a fantastic idea, because it is something that can either be taken full advantage of, or not used at all, without getting in the way of users that don't want to use it.

I for one am extremely excited to see what the possibilities of this will be. I doubt we will see it at MacWorld though. who knows.

 

It seems it'll probably be more about gestures on the trackpad...maybe moving two fingers in a circular motion will equal a "Save" or something. It may seem weird now, but its just because we're not used to it.

 

I am not really interested in a multi-touch trackpad. Call me when they make a multi-touch tablet. Then I am interested.

 

possible pic

could be photoshopped... or not.but thats at least a visualization of what the patent is showing!

 

that doesn't look anything like what the patent is showing?

 

nice find! If you read the comments that other people made though, one said "why would Apple make a giant trackpad & button just underneath where you rest your palms", and that doesn't make a lot of sense.
But nice find nonethelest.

 

I remember i saw a desig a while back (just when the rumors were started), that looked like that photo, a really wide trackpad.

But the real difference was that they were saying that the traackpad was supposed to function more along the lines of a tablet. So i guess you could use a specific pen on it and stuff.

And as for the current mbp/mb having multitouch, i guess they do technically, but it only really just "senses" that theres two finders on it. It doesnt do anything else other then that. So I'd assume that new laptops youd be able to do things like gestures/ipoone type commands.

 

The patent application suggests a smart technology to sense when you are just resting your palms during typing vs. actually trying to use the trackpad. But like any new gizmo, how many versions and iterations will it take before Apple really gets it right? I'm not so sure I would want to be an early implementer of this sort of technology. Could be really frustrating.

 

Erm.. yeah it does. Except for the giant mouse button which is ommited from the patent.

 

this guy said it best: (comment from the link) "Shadow is wrong for light source on closest corner of the laptop." Photoshooooop rules. Also notice how the track pad is divided into 2 shades right in the middle. 2 pads joined together to look like one. You'd think the guy would at least use photoshop to its fullest.

 

oh yeah, after looking at it for a bit, it's like... damn thats not a great photoshop job. But dango, I have a hard time seeing that whole giant track pad/multi touch thing being all that great.
And seeing a hacked up visual just confirms my belief that it's just bad.

Now... a little USB external device that is a programmable multitouch device... yeah, I could dig that.