“Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals that Jony Ive and his team have considered expanding the Apple Watch’s digital crown to other iOS devices such as the iPad,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.
“Apple notes that the digital crown could be used as a volume controller or locking the touch screen, turning on the touch screen, taking a picture, resizing text and other actions,” Purcher reports. “Apple’s patent FIG. 2 noted below illustrates an expanded view of an exemplary device #200 such as an iPad, though it could be an iPhone or iPod touch as well.”
“The device could include touch screen surrounded by border region. The border region could be a region between touch screen and the edge of device,” Purcher reports. “In some examples, the device may not have a border region and may instead have a surface composed only of touch screen.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Seems like a patent that’ll never be used.
As we wrote just over a year ago:
One could view the Digital Crown in much the same way as the original iPod’s mechanical click wheel which taught users the UI concept and how to use later iPod models’ capacitive-sensing click wheel. Looked at this way, the mechanical Digital Crown is a teaching aid, letting us spin and click mechanically until we’re ready for the more advanced virtual “Digital Crown.”
Plus, in a skeuomorphic manner, the mechanical Digital Crown is a familiar element for a wristwatch, so it makes it easy to accept Apple Watch on your wrist. Then, later, when users realize what Apple Watch is, and how it works, they’ll no longer need such hand-holding. It’s a very Apple-like way use things that people recognize from the real world in order to introduce a strange new product.
SEE ALSO:
After getting assimilated by Apple Watch, now I want a Digital Crown on my iPhone – August 13, 2015
Why Apple Watch’s Digital Crown will be a thing of the past – July 16, 2015
Just protecting their watch digital crown patent and preventing others from using it on a phone. It will never ever be implemented on an iPhone or iPad.
Agreed. I can’t imagine tossing a watch crown on larger digital devices. It’s on the Watch because watches typically have one and people can use it intuitively. Tossing one on an iPad is like adding a crank to start the thing up. The Steam Punk fans would love it!
That was my first reaction too, Derek. What a dumb idea; must just be proactive patent protection.
But then I thought, hey, they have that stupid slightly protruding camera, and STILL the iPhone camera optics are way worse than a dedicated camera. What if they invented some excuse for a *seriously* protruding camera? This would do it.
I don’t know. Still think it’s a ruse.
eek reminds me of the little toggle you used to have in PC laptop keyboards that used to send shivers down my spine with their inelegance. Please NO.
“Frank! It’s time to wind your iPhone!”
It’s fun to speculate and imagine. That’s about all this is worth.
It is with great pleasure that I can once again one star your posts.
Thanks Bob, I mean Mac, I mean Frank, I mean Birdseed. I always care about your feelings and opinions. You know I’m joking.
Ugh. This would suck.
Severe lack of imagination much? From the article…
“The device could include touch screen surrounded by border region. The border region could be a region between touch screen and the edge of device,” Purcher reports. “In some examples, the device may not have a border region and may instead have a surface composed only of touch screen.”
Let’s see…oh I don’t know…maybe a 3D Touch haptic home button action with navigation/volume control/search etc etc via the outer ring? All built into the screen.
Easy control one handed for large screened devices and no openings in the case >> waterproof?
Random thoughts but please?…do some lateral thinking 🙄
Maybe Apple is worried about rappers wearing big iPad like products with digital crowns around their necks.
Now we wouldn’t want that to happen.
Revolutionary. Magical. These are just a few words that came to mind when I designed the New iPad Air 2 Pro SE 9.7″ mini with Rotary Input (Late 2016).
“The biggest innovation in scrolling since papyrus”
Only Apple.
Aha! A crank handle fitted over the knurled crown could allow for charging the device with muscle power alone! They could call such a feature Battery-B-Gone!™
It will be a hit in third-world countries, particularly in Africa, and especially Norway, Russia, Alaska and other Arctic Circle locales with lengthy periods of darkness. Come to think of it, it could benefit other types of user disenfranchised by darkness — agoraphobes, the incarcerated, trolls living in culverts and basements, etc
I wonder if they could also incorporate two knobs like an Etch A Sketch?
Tim Cook likes knobs obviously
Love my watch. Never use the Digital Crown, except as a button.
Just wondering if they could use it to get rid of the volume and power buttons by combining them into one? That said, if rotating it replaced the volume and pressing it was on/off, then they wouldn’t have the facility of the + button being a camera shutter button which I really like.
Why the f@ck would Apple patent something that would never be commercially viable. This must be what Tim Cook calls innovating “like crazy” because this is f@cking insane.