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Will next iPad have an iPen?
Cupertino has just applied for a patent for a haptic iPen, technology for a stylus pen which senses movement, that could be an accessory for all its touch devices including iPad and iPhone.
Announced by the United States Patent & Trademark Office last week, the iPen would sense movements on lines, graphics and provide feedback to the user, possibly from a speaker inbuilt into the stylus.
It would potentially work across all of touch display devices, including future version of iPhone, iPad and even iPod touch.
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| Image: Patently Apple |
Apple’s iPen would be “an input device capable of generating haptic feedback may help a user navigate content displayed on the display screen, and may further serve to enhance the content of various applications by creating a more appealing and realistic user interface,” reports Patently Apple.
The “haptic feedback” users would get from the iPen could include audio, vibrations, or other force movements emitted by sensors.
So if iPen detects a user trying to draw a graphic but not applying enough pressure or has created a rough line, it may simply vibrate indicating to users to change the applied pressure or graphic.
iPen may also contain various sensors including capacitive, meaning it could respond to various swiping, scrolling and touch gestures. It could even detect movements from mid-air thanks to inbuilt accelerometers and gyroscopes.
This would also mean iPad & Co would be able to compete with the likes of Samsung’s 5″ Galaxy Note, the smartphone come tablet that incorporates a stylus pen. which appeals to corporate users in particular.
It could even be powered by solar technology, the patent indicates, although it could also be powered by just off a run of the mill power supply.
Apple first applied for the patent back in 2010 before the launch of original iPad so its not known when the Apple stylus may become a reality.
