Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, Nov. 16 (Xinhua)-- Apple has recently obtained a technology patent called "Keyless Keyboard", suggesting that the MacBook Pro keyboard may adopt the same design as the trackpad in the future. This means that Apple users may no longer experience the tapping pleasure of the traditional keyboard, but instead experience tactile feedback like iPhone Home buttons and MacBook Pro trackpads.

The patent, known as "Keyless keyboard with force sensing and haptic feedback" (a keyless keyboard with power and tactile feedback), was filed with the United States Trademark and Patent Office in 2017. It effectively describes replacing the physical keys of the keyboard with a glass display screen equipped with a variety of touch sensing systems.

CTOnews.com learned that in the patent description, Apple believes that traditional button-based input is "inflexible to adapt to the extensibility provided by newer devices, operating systems and software" and "unable to adapt to different user needs and preferences." Although touchscreen input may provide users with alternative input, the "flat, inflexible input surface" provides little tactile feedback.

Apple's proposal includes a top glass layer, including two force-sensing systems for different "input areas" and a touch-sensing system to determine the position of the user's fingers. Tactile feedback is provided by one or more actuators to provide a response to the downward press of each key.

The picture provided in the file describes a keyboard peripheral using a long trackpad with a keystroke image. In another notebook description, it seems that the entire lower part (usually reserved for keyboards and trackpads) has been replaced by a large panel.

In both cases, the keyless keyboard will change the display according to the needs of the user. This may include displaying a touchpad area in the middle of the keyboard and rearranging the layout to make it more consistent with the user's hand positioning.

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