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- Matic, on 10/12/2007, -2/+33This furthers the rumors of an iPod with it's entire real-estate as a screen. Freaking Awesome!
- elnerdo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19Raster, I think you're just trying to promote your own stories by putting that comment in.
- bayonetblaha, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16Can't wait to get my iTheremin!
- ridgelawrence, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14Wow, I literally cant wait... till august 7 (WWDC)
- Codee, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Minority iPod WOOT!
- CaptShmo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11i want my ipod to be a clear piece of glass or plastic with an internal, semi-transparent projection of the screen. also, a pony would be nice.
- hyperpasta, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13No, that's the iTablet ;-)
- clearrecrd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10This goes along with the patent to have a screen with thousands on camera like devices to detect motion and what not
- missflibbles, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11I got the joke, but once they patent this, I bet Apple's going to try to move into the tablet business as well. Apple goes for the "artsy" people, and artsy people usually like to draw.
- hyperpasta, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9^ Don't count on it... I personally beleive an event in September or October is far more likely for iPod/consumer-related announcements.
- mastercheif, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Why would they show off a new iPod at the World Wide Developers Conferance?
Besides, they don't want to take any of the spotlight off of Leopard. - vannoy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Sadly no... The federation didn't have Apple's engineers. :)
- n00bst3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4This definately won't be out untill the promotion of $180 mail in rebate when you buy a new Mac and iPod for college students ends.
- cerisaac, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Does anyone remember a recent Apple patent application that related to putting some sort of video capture device behind the screen? I believe this may tie into that. Hell they could use this type of input technology for anything from an iPod to the iMac to the Cinema Displays. Imagine being able to have full control over how the display is calibrated while keeping the design aspects within Apple specs.
- Ireland, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5My Motorola Razr is basically a piece of *****, but you know what? The little screen on the front is not scratched one bit, you know why? Cause it's made of glass, or at least covered with glass. Are you hearin' what I'm saying Steve?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3 A loud clatter of gunk music flooded through the Heart of Gold cabin as Zaphod searched the sub-etha radio wavebands for news of himself. The machine was rather difficult to operate. For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as the technology became more sophisticated the controls were made touch-sensitive - you merely had to brush the panels with your fingers; now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope. It saved a lot of muscular expenditure of course, but meant that you had to sit infuriatingly still if you wanted to keep listening to the same programme.
- Zher0, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7It's a neat idea, but there would be no tactile feedback with such a system. The user will have to rely on visual and audio cues to know when a button has successfully been pressed. Our keyboards still 'click' for a reason.
- Zminus10, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Does this mean that Data wasn't really touching the LCARS panels on the Enterprise?
- bdbr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Patent applications usually occur when the IDEA is first thought up - it is typically years before it actually translates to a product. They have to be submitted as early as possible, because once they're submitted, they take years to get approved (I have one pending from two years ago). I think the typical turnaround from the patent office is about 5 years.
If they had a product coming relatively soon with this, they wouldn't be submitting the application now. - DocDEB, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It would be a trivial matter to have visual/audio feed back with this. This sort of device would primarily be for video play back so I would expect strong visual cues.
- danlovejoy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+43G iPods have no tactile feedback. Feedback is better, but it's not a dealbreaker, IMO.
- ascott9, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I just picked up my wallet and tried the scrolling motion about a inch away from the surface and it actually doesn't seem like it will be as bad as I expected. Depends on if its sensitive enough I guess. Everyone pick up something and use your thumb to spin in the air ;)
- gabeN, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Way cool, I was worried that they would release a full screen ipod that you'd have to get fingerprints on to use, how dumb would that be?
- themacx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1it's an Apple!. just look at the crap options out there.
- cromer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I have a 3G ipod with the four touch sensitive buttons on the top, and I also have a Nano with the click wiheel. There is no comparison...the click wheel with the tactile feedback is soooooo much better. With my 3G ipod, I have to actually look at the ipod to push the a button...I can't feel around for the buttons because they automatically get selected when you brush your fingers over them, which could pause, skip to the next song...whatever. With the click wheel, the worst that can happen is you might turn up or down the volume. Also, with the 3G buttons, you never really know for sure if you selected anything because sometimes it takes a second or two for the hard drive to catch up, and before you know it, you have skipped three songs ahead instead of just one because you kept on hitting the forward button until something happened. Tactile feedback is the way to go!
- Fengpost, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Actually, this is probably an evolution of projected capacitive touch input technology. Tablet does not recognize hand and only recognize the pen. The projected capacitive touch is already in use for larger monitor. See: http://www.elotouch.com/products/projected_capacitive/default.asp
- Vermifax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I love quintessential Apple products! :-D
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1patent #20060161871 was filed in september 2005, seems a little out of date. but whatever.
link to patent: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=20060161871&OS=20060161871&RS=20060161871 - Dropscience, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Im def. Getting one
- clearrecrd, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/26/apple-patent-embeds-thousands-of-cameras-among-lcd-pixels/
- Vorcht, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Sometimes I wonder who draws those pictures? I love the hand! +DIGG for kindergarden artistry!
- DarkJC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Um, the entire point of the patent system is to patent ideas. That's not the problem. The problem is when people make patents for obvious things (like wireless device email in software for instance) and sit on it and do nothing and wait for another company (RIM) to take the risk and develop it. They then proceed to make boatloads of money by suing the company that actually did something with the idea they had.
- geekee, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Why not just put a normal touch sensitive sensor on the side of the case?
- inkswamp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1As I understand it, when a company files a patent, they cannot use the technology in a consumer product for 12 months (I think, don't quote me) after the filing date otherwise the patent may not be approved. Apple made that goof with the iPod's interface and Creative stepped in to file patents for the idea (which is where all that junk about Creative suing Apple comes from.) Sept. 2005 would suggest that Apple is probably planning to use this technology in a product no sooner than two months from now.
- gadgetlust, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Seems to me that one of the biggest advantages of such an interface would be the ability to operate the ipod through full-body ipod armour. Provided it had wi-fi and an inductive charger, there would be no holes to let dust in and no need to ever remove it from its case.
- DocDEB, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I agree with you superbaka. I use my 5G iPod every day and certainly do touch the screen with normal handling. Smudges really have to be looked for by looking at the screen at an extreme angle which would not be a normal viewing angle. I can also see some tiny scratches at the extreme angle but they disappear at normal viewing angle. This is not to say that if you have some nasty ***** on you hands it will not show up. Also if you have some abrasive substance on your hands it will likely leave a mark. Just saying in my real world use experience screen smudging and scratches have not been an OMG problem.
- bazac, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Steady on with that complex vocabulary, Wordsworth.
- paulryan21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'd like a pony too !
- superbaka, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I tried touching and scrolling on my ipod screen. Guess what? No smudges. The smudge issue is overblown - try it for yourself. We all use PDAs..smudges aren't much of an issue.
And in case anyone is wondering, those hands look silly because patent drawings are functional and the government makes you draw that way so there is no confusion about what finger is touching what, etc. - NightwareX, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Leave it to apple to create some cool *****! Not that this will make much diference though, lol it's stll cool!
- theprez, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Because then it wouldn't be an innovation. But I agree, I think buttons like the Apple Cinema Displays would be better, but then again that was pretty much the 3G iPod. Apple probably wants to market something like "No Buttons".
- nTensify, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2iPods click when you move your finger around the wheel for a reason too ;).
Fact is, I don't need the feeling of it clicking if I hear that "click" noise the iPod's piezo speaker outputs, and I prefer a lighter touch unit (and I still use my 3rd gen iPod every day for that reason). - franco313, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2weird but my old ipod 3rd generation did almost the same thing if you were 3/4 of inch from touching the play/pause rewind forward or center button it would already clicked by its self. i dunno if it was a defect something but mine did it.
- jimmiem, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This reminds me of HHGTTG where all of the touch sensitive controls had become so touch sensitive you didn't have to actually touch them anymore.
- DoctorDuckey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3*cough cough* lokust is teh douche, major doucher*cough
- the41stgrave, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't think its a good idea either. 1. It'll get scratched up beyond belief 2. If it drops, the screen will most likely break ( I had a 4th gen Ipod that i dropped on carpet, the screen cracked all over the place). 3. They should spend more money on making an external power button, because on my new ipod, sometimes the "on/off switch" and sleep mode options don't work.
- spanner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Looks like bdbr has popped the anticipation bubble :)
I have heard that one of the problems with the patent system is that of ideas being patented. Isn't that what alsomost closed down the blackberry this year?
Someone claiming royalites for the idea of the blackberry that they made years earlier, yet never had anything to do with theblackberry itself. - gr00vy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Screen Guards! Number one accessory is a case with a screen guard!!! Proximity detector keeps this alive, and keeps the revenues up, Up, UP!
- DelMonte, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeaaaahhh riiiight...
" 1. It'll get scratched up beyond belief "
How can it becomes any more scratched than other iPods if you don't have to touch it?
I got an iPod nano since last november, I use it almost every day, without a case, and the screen is still perfectly readable. The scratch thing is way overblown. At worse a 5$ solution will repair most of the scratches easily.
"2. If it drops, the screen will most likely break ( I had a 4th gen Ipod that i dropped on carpet, the screen cracked all over the place). "
Oh so because you found a way to crack the screen on a carpet means that others will too?
"3. They should spend more money on making an external power button, because on my new ipod, sometimes the "on/off switch" and sleep mode options don't work."
External power button? on/off switch? What are you talking about? And if the sleep mode options don't work why don't you contact Apple? And what are those sleep mode options anyway? - jeremedia, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0First sentence of the article:
On July 20, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's patent application titled 'CProximity detector in handheld device,' originally filed in September 2005. -
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