In 2015, Apple launched a 12-inch MacBook, which boasted of two unique aspects. The laptop was not only thinner compared to the previous laptops, but has a solitary port and regular keyboard built-in a smaller space. In future, the Cupertino tech titan wants to make its MacBooks even thinner by replacing the keyboard with a large trackpad.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted the tech titan a patent for a customized keyboard that discards the conventional keys for a "force-sensitive" sheet that will perform like an extra-large trackpad, Dezeen reported. The patent document pertaining to the new keyboard explains that a metal layer will loosen undetectably when touched. The individual keys will possibly be substituted by a lattice of holes that will be lit from below to display separate key boundaries and letters.
The patent suggests that by doing away with the separate sections, the input device will be vulnerable to fewer damages by being dropped or accumulated debris. Moreover, the document states that the new element will take into account a variety of input areas, which the user will be able to customize depending on his/ her requirements.
While Apple filed the patent application for using a larger trackpad replacing a physical keyboard built into the MacBook in 2015, the concept was revealed only earlier this month, Forbes reported. The concept is called "configurable force-sensitive input structure for electronic devices," while the purported input structure is dubbed as "zero-travel," as there not visible physical mechanism movements will take place when the user touches it.
However, when touched, the outsized trackpad will provide haptic response, especially when a particular segment is pushed down. This is something akin to what one would sense when he/ she receives a notification on the Apple Watch or when they are using Quick Actions via 3D Touch.
Furthermore, the new trackpad would also possess the aptitude to fine-tune its input settings subject to the software application used as a keyboard, a game pad, a number pad, and a track pad. In theory, a number pad may appear while a user is performing great many calculations on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Alternatively, a larger keyboard will appear while the user is writing an essay in Microsoft Word.
The trackpad will also expand while editing photos. In addition, a user can also convert the trackpad into a game pad when playing game apps. Precisely speaking, there are various situations as to how the new technology can be useful depending on how users interact using their MacBook.
Watch the review on 12-inch Apple MacBook 2015 below: