UUronL

Here's hoping they fail as miserably as they did with the whole portable music player patent. Fingerworks, Immersion (they make our iDrives), Microsoft, and countless researchers have already done, and in many cases provided saleable product around such technology.


Regardless, I've been touting gestures and chords as the next wave for iDrive in several threads. I think there should be a small fingerboard in place of the wheel, allowing for near-infinite input options.


An article on Apple's patent grab:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/02/apples-...et-mac-part-ii/


The patent application itself:

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser...e%20computer%22

Simple1

I don't see anything wrong with the patent, they just want to protect something they might be doing different from the others. We'll have to see when it comes out whether it was worthy of patent when it comes out, until then all we know it that they applied for it.