Adding a touchscreen to the MacBook family is something Apple has been incredibly reticent to discuss in public, it remains a popular request from users. Recent published documents suggest that Apple continues to consider the technology.
With the push towards iPad apps on MacOS, and the move towards touch screens on Windows 10, is Apple ready to reconsider its approach?
The details come in the latest Apple patent. Titled ‘Cross Device Interactions’, the patent itself covers using one device as an interface for a second device. One obvious example here it the use of an iPhone placed next to a MacBook, and the iPhone screen becomes the trackpad.
But tucked into the patent is an interesting detail, spotted by William Gallagher:
“ “In some embodiments, display 5012 is also a touch-sensitive display,” it says. “In one or more of such embodiments, the user optionally performs a variety of finger inputs over display 5012 to enter user inputs via display 5012.” ”
Occam’s Razer suggests that Apple’s R&D team is covering as many bases as possible in the patent and plan to use descriptions such as a touch screen in a defensive manner.
It is worth looking at the larger picture. You are pretty much guaranteed a touchscreen on mid- to high- end Windows 10 laptops and portables. Apple’s laptops have been left behind in this area while the competition perfects its implementation and strolls off into the distance.
Apple also has a reason to weaken touch as a point of differentiation between the iPad family and the MacBook family. With Mac Catalyst it is working to allow developers to port iPadOS apps to run on MacOS machines. While the mouse can is used as an alternative to your finger, the iPadOS interface on a laptop would benefit immensely from having touch based operations.
Reducing the gap between Windows 10 and MacOS hardware, improved UI for iPad OS apps on Catalyst, and inventive opportunities for keen developers to exploit. There are many good reasons for Apple to deliver a touchscreen MacBook.
forbes.com / balkantimes.press
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