A Touchable Mouse And Multi-Touch Tablet

Rumors dating back to 2007 showed Apple is working on a new Mighty Mouse with touch capabilities. New rumors confirm this. In other news, Apple seems to be working on a tablet computer with multi-touch capabilities.

The rumors say the new Mighty Mouse will be introduced this year, together with the new iMac. The mouse will be a new design and have multi-touch capabilities. The scroll ball will be history. Speaking of which, below is a picture that shows the history of the mouse.

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The new Mighty Mouse is rumored to get a new look. The white mouse is no longer. The new one will have an aluminium casing. The line of the Mighty Mouse dates back 25 years ago when Apple introduced Lisa; one of the first computers with a mouse. The PC got a mouse too, later that year. Since then, the mouse has had several shapes. We all know the spherical shaped mouse that came with the first iMac. Today we have the white Mighty Mouse with the scroll ball that can scroll horizontally and vertically. Apple can do it again and show us a new revolutionary mouse.

About the iTablet. A new patent application revealed Apple is working on a multi-touch tablet computer. Input with a stylus, mouse, voice recognition and keyboard are options that work well with specific circumstances. But the iTablet must be able to do the things the users demand of it. And the needs of users can be fulfilled by making the device a touch-sensitive technology.

“Many attempts have been made to embed pointing devices in a keyboard so the hands do not have to leave typing position to access the pointing device… The limited movement range and resolution of these devices, leads to poorer pointing speed and accuracy than a mouse, and they add mechanical complexity to keyboard construction,” the application reads. “Thus there exists a need in the art for pointing methods with higher resolution, larger movement range, and more degrees of freedom yet which are easily accessible from typing hand positions.”

The patent application describes that the system can individually detect all ten fingers and separate palms on a person’s hand. This gives users the ability to draw, write, type and interact with the device. Activities done with multiple fingers are referred to as “chords”.