Apple’s Force Touch technology, which is already available inside its latest Magic Trackpad 2, could soon replace the physical switches inside its future keyboards, according to a new patent. The move could give keys multiple uses, depending on how much pressure is applied to them.
Apple’s patent, titled “Ultra low travel keyboard,” was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week, and describes a completely switchless keyboard that uses pressure sensors like the Apple Watch display, and the new trackpads inside Apple’s latest MacBooks.
Apple explains how each key would employ a stack of sensors, nestled beneath a keycap, rather than one large Force Touch panel. Each key would have an integrated piezo actuator and force sensor to measure the pressure applied, and could provide haptic feedback while typing.
“To determine the amount of applied force on a single key, signals are received by a keyboard controller and sent off to a keyboard module for processing,” explains AppleInsider. “A keystroke is subsequently logged and users are provided a corresponding level of haptic feedback presented as a “click” or simulated mechanical movement by the integrated actuator.”
Not only would this change allow Apple to make its keyboards even thinner, but it could also provide each key with multiple uses. For instance, a regular press could type a letter, while a deeper press could perform a function — like pausing music or copying text — or insert a special character.
Apple patents are never a guarantee of things to come, of course, but bringing Force Touch to its keyboards seems like a logical step forward for Apple, which has been embracing Force Touch and 3D Touch in a big way since the technology debuted inside Apple Watch this spring.
But after introducing the new Magic Keyboard last month, it’s likely to be a while before a Force Touch keyboard hits the Apple Online Store.
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