“On May 16, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals an all-new touch sensor panel design for larger displays,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.
“Today’s touch sensor panels are designed like a checkerboard taking on a matrix of drive and sense lines arranged in rows and columns in horizontal and vertical directions,” Purcher reports. “That may be fine for smaller touch displays but as the touch displays become larger such as those for a future MacBook or even an iMac, the current design becomes a drag on the speed of touch command execution.”
Purcher reports, “Apple’s next generation touch sensor panel is likely to take on either a web-like design or one that incorporates thick diamond-like shapes so that the user’s finger is more likely to hit the sensors faster and easier.”
Much more, including Apple’s patent application illustrations, in the full article here.