“Of all the things that I find fascinating—and mysterious—about the iPhone, the touch-sensitive screen probably tops the list,” Arik Hesseldahl reports for BusinessWeek.
“I’ve just spent an afternoon wading through a 29-page patent application that Apple filed in 2004 for what it calls a ‘multipoint touch screen.’ I’m coming away with some very interesting ideas concerning what touch-screen technology may mean for Apple and the direction its products may take. It holds promise not only for the iPhone, due to be released in about three months, but for Apple’s iPod music players as well. It could even presage a line of mobile computers,” Hesseldahl reports.
Hesseldahl reports, “The first thing that jumped out at me (perhaps it’s been noted elsewhere, but the significance escaped me during the opening weeks of the iPhone hype) is how technically sophisticated the screen is.”
“Impressive as a touch screen that can keep track of two fingers at once may be—try more than one finger on a conventional touch screen—the screen outlined in Apple’s patent application will be able to react to as many as 15 simultaneous touches. The document says that’s enough for all 10 fingers, the palms of both hands, and three ‘others,’ whatever they may be. The software on the iPhone, or whatever other device employs the technology, can respond to each individual signal, independent of the others. And this is where the possibilities are particularly intriguing. Once the iPhone is on the market, it follows that over the course of a year or so the iPod family of products will evolve and take on more iPhone-like trappings,” Hesseldahl reports.
Hesseldahl reports, “Apple appears to own the patents around this technology, though it seems a patent has yet to be formally issued. Some of the technology appears to have come from a company called Fingerworks, which was founded by two former University of Delaware professors and ceased operations in June, 2005. The founders may now be working with Apple, Reitzes says.”
Much more in the full article, in which Heddeldahl looks at the possiblilties of “a wireless-ready portable screen that can act as a sort of remote client for a conventional Mac and/or an Apple TV,” and more here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “LinuxGuy and Mac Prodigal Son” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Analyst: ‘Apple iPhone is little more than another handset to operators’ – March 14, 2007
RUMOR: Apple considering licensing iPhone OS X, multi-touch? – March 13, 2007
Wired’s Mortensen: Apple is under-selling iPhone with their 10 million figure – March 13, 2007
Getting ready for Apple iPhone: How to get out of your 2-year cellphone contract – March 13, 2007
Apple’s marketing machine does it again: iPhone generates $400 million in free publicity – March 10, 2007
Analyst: Apple’s iPhone has Palm ‘shaking in their sandals’ – March 09, 2007
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Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple ‘buy’ – says market is underestimating iPhone demand – March 01, 2007
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Apple COO Tim Cook: iPhone is a revolutionary product; you get what you pay for – February 28, 2007
How will vehicle makers integrate Apple’s iPhone? – February 28, 2007
Apple COO Tim Cook: iPhone on track for June launch – February 27, 2007
Goldman Sachs: 4 reasons to be bullish on Apple’s iPhone – February 26, 2007
Apple airs iPhone teaser ad during Oscars – February 25, 2007
Apple preps 3G iPhone model for Europe – February 25, 2007
The once-mighty Palm Inc. doomed to decline and failure – thanks to Apple’s iPhone – February 23, 2007
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How Steve Jobs played hardball in iPhone deal with AT&T (Cingular) – February 17, 2007
Digit takes a closer look at Apple’s iPhone – February 14, 2007
Microsoft caught off-guard, beaten badly by Apple’s iPhone innovations – February 13, 2007
Apple’s soon-to-be iPhone rivals sound just like iPod rivals circa 2001 – February 01, 2007
How Verizon blew the Apple iPhone deal – January 29, 2007
O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile battle for exclusive rights to Apple iPhone in UK – January 26, 2007
Rogers to offer Apple iPhone exclusively in Canada – January 25, 2007
Research in Motion downgraded due to Apple iPhone competition – January 23, 2007
Ihnatko: Hands-on with Apple’s iPhone (which runs Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard) – January 18, 2007
Microsoft CEO Ballmer laughs at Apple iPhone – January 17, 2007
RealMoney: Apple just blew up the whole damn mobile-phone supply chain with its new iPhone – January 11, 2007
eWeek: Apple iPhone fallout: ‘They must be crying in Nokia-ville and other telephony towns today’ – January 10, 2007
Jefferies downgrades Motorola on fears of market share loss to Apple iPhone – January 10, 2007
The massive FUD campaign against Apple’s iPhone ramps up – January 10, 2007
Time: ‘iPhone could crush cell phone market pitilessly beneath the weight of its own superiority’ – January 09, 2007
Analyst: Apple iPhone should be given its own category – ‘brilliantphone’ – January 09, 2007
Apple debuts iPhone: touchscreen mobile phone + widescreen iPod + Internet communicator – January 09, 2007
@Steves Job
Why do you think Gates named his company after something small and not hard?
@Black Mac
see: LG Dual OLED laptop prototype
MW: issue, as in, I got lots of em.
[the touch-sensitive screen …. It could even presage a line of mobile computers]
There’s a statement for the ‘DUH’ file! What does the author think the iPhone is? Did he see the demo?
Perfect for a Logic Pro/Express/GarageBand virtual mixing desk.
if they made a Mighty Mouse “2.0” that had a touch sensitive sensor instead of a scroll ball I would sell my soul for it.
MW: Nearly everyone I’m sure would do the same.
For those of you concerned about smudges, two things… try a little better personal hygiene and lay off the fatty foods (your greasy skin secrections will diminish somewhat).
Take this notion one step further by incorporating the technological possibilities described in Apple’s patent application for an ‘Integrated Sensing Display’ (link below), and you’ll have a truer vision of the direction in which Apple is headed with its product line and how it intends to, yet again, revolutionize the industries in which it operates.
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1;="20060007222".PGNR.&OS=DN/20060007222&RS=DN/20060007222
To assume that Apple has already incorporated the aforementioned technology into the iPhone might be a stretch of the imagination. However, with all of it’s features having not yet been revealed, similar to Leopard, the possibility exists. The current lack of availablity of iSight cameras and the long refresh cycle for their current display offerings has had many speculating about Apple incorporating iSight cameras into them once they are finally updated; and the rollout of AppleTV, whether they will add even larger models to their lineup. iChat is the model of future tele-communications, and I’m certain Apple understands this. The inclusion of a self-directed camera on Meizu’s miniOne iPhone knock-off makes one wonder as well since they seem to have copied the iPhone as closely as possible, but certainly wouldn’t have had access to a multi-touch or image sensing display.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/14/meizu-ceo-we-only-kind-of-knocked-off-the-iphone/
A comment from the original article sums up my view..
“I agree with all but one statement (… the appeal of touch-sensitive screens seems fairly limited for notebooks …). I believe the possibilities are unlimited for notebooks. Imagine a notebook with a normal screen and a “multi-touch” screen to replace the keyboard. Now depending on the application you are using the “keyboard” will adapt. When using Office apps it will be a keyboard, but it will display the actual command behind the key. When editing video, it becomes a virtual video-editing console. When playing music it will become a virtual DJ panel. When using Photoshop it will become a graphical tablet. When playing a flight simulator game it will become a cockpit. When making music it becomes a piano. The possibilities are endless. And for one, I cannot wait to see it happen”
I remember a demo of a prototype ‘computer of the future’, which was a laptop that you opened up and each side being a screen, you turned it and used the top as a screen, and the lower as a keyboard. if you opened it full, the two screens worked as a big screen for movies, etc.
I wish I could remember more details, but I’m running out of Headware RAM.
Peter
I bought my youngest son a Pentax T10 camera. It has a touchscreen, which I wasn’t sure about, but it was so cool.
It came with a ‘pen’ which ties to the strap, and is used to tap commands. You can also use a finger, either way, it stays faily clean.