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- angusm, on 03/10/2009, -3/+39Apple insiders confirmed that when OS X 10.8 Lolcat ships in 3rd quarter 2012, it will support multi-touch gestures requiring no less than sixteen fingers. With the possible exception of a few mutants, this means that Apple owners will need to enlist the assistance of a friend to make these gestures. Rather than seeing this as a problem, Apple claims that it will "usher in a new era of social computing". In a recent patent filing, Apple describes "interfaces for collaborative computer use", while press releases (embargoed until 2011) speak of "putting an end to the stereotype of the solitary computer user".
- thelastcivilian, on 03/10/2009, -2/+26I'll wait until 11-finger multi-touch.
- drewtown, on 03/09/2009, -1/+25I can only imagine the kind of crazy appley commands you can do with 4 fingers.
- inactive, on 03/10/2009, -6/+27I got a 1 finger command for you.
- KevinLiu, on 03/10/2009, -1/+22Does it recognize the shocker?
- DirtyBinLV, on 03/10/2009, -1/+20All that does is launch a sound file of "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.".
- KSUdesigner, on 03/10/2009, -0/+14Fisting = 4 fingers? You missing a thumb or something?
- seltaeb4, on 03/10/2009, -1/+12Or 12, if you're Anne Boleyn.
She'd need a Headless Monitor, though. - magus824, on 03/10/2009, -3/+13I only want this if I get the 5-finger discount.
- toxicpiano, on 03/10/2009, -2/+11You're about 5 years behind. Mighty mice have 5 buttons.
- bigsteve, on 03/10/2009, -0/+8I wouldn't say this detracts from usability. You don't need to make these gestures, they're just there if you wish to use them. The disabled can still use the assistance technologies to do everything they were always able to do.
While I of course feel for those who have disabilities, software companies shouldn't have to stop innovating because -some- people can't physically complete the operations. - yomamaii, on 03/10/2009, -0/+8I guess Apple has really loosened up!
- FXPooky, on 03/10/2009, -2/+9That's what she said.
- Mehster, on 03/10/2009, -0/+6From the little I've used them, the gestures are incredibly simple and accurate. I now pretty much use them all the time in place of alt-tab. It'd be hard to mess it up or have a "miss-gesture". You just have to put four fingers on the touchpad anywhere and:
pull down = expose
pull up = clear desktop
left or right = alt+tab
Also, the title is really misleading. They are just adding support for older devices that can theoretically support these 4 finger gestures, but don't have the software for it yet (see macbook air). This isn't a new feature, because the four finger gestures already exist on all the new MacBooks with 10.5. - dusanmal, on 03/10/2009, -0/+6Apple's attempt to attract female audience?
- dpollitt, on 03/10/2009, -0/+5are you a writer for theonion?
- r00fus, on 03/11/2009, -0/+5You're wrong:
1) iBooks never supported two-finger scrolling
2) Macbook(pro)s that support two-finger scrolling don't necessarily support 3 or 4 finger gestures. - t0ny, on 03/10/2009, -2/+7Um Apple ships two-button mice. I can right click with my Mighty Mouse and with a two finger tap I can right click on the touch pad.
- deccyy, on 03/10/2009, -0/+5I love using the expose swipe. Saves a lot more time than you'd think.
- wild, on 03/10/2009, -0/+4Apple just keeps four-finger banging my heart.
- digitalpencil, on 03/10/2009, -0/+4obvious troll is obvious..
- toxicpiano, on 03/10/2009, -0/+4@ Digitalpencil, yes I agree
/macuser
@Tony, the scroll ball is also a button. - wild, on 03/10/2009, -0/+4KSU Kent or KSU Kansas?
- seltaeb4, on 03/10/2009, -1/+5You use the mouse for that (as a pedal.)
- wild, on 03/10/2009, -2/+6"Come hither"...?
- skeletorcares, on 03/10/2009, -1/+5it's apple, man.
- skeletorcares, on 03/10/2009, -3/+7Nothing says simple like 4 fingered interactions.
- llsethj, on 03/10/2009, -0/+4Confirms the January reports
http://www.9to5mac.com/snow-leopard-five-finger-di ... - KSUdesigner, on 03/10/2009, -0/+4Kent
- inactive, on 03/10/2009, -1/+5How accurate is the gesture recognition? If I had to redo gestures, it'd probably be just as fast or faster to switch/launch programs manually
- NicoNicoNico, on 03/11/2009, -0/+4Actually, the 4 finger swipe sounds useful. Just today I was looking for a keyboard shortcut so I wouldn't have to scroll down and click on the Adium icon everytime I got a message. A 4 finger swipe means I can be even lazier.
- RudeTurnip, on 03/10/2009, -4/+7Bear claw!
- digitalpencil, on 03/10/2009, -2/+5apple have not attempted to, and never said they were going to patent multitouch (you couldn't patent that any more than you could singletouch).
Tim Cook only said that they embrace competition but would obviously defend their IP in the case of an infringement. Ed Colligan said "they've no problems with Apple".
All this was, was a load of blogspam FUD conjured up by rumor-mills who understand implicitly that nothing generates hits like sensationalist flamebait article titles.
You have to read more than just the titles though..
Multitouch has been around since the late 80s and there are loads of people who've contributed to the tech (including Redmond and Bell) although admittedly it was Fingerwors (for which Apple now holds the IP) who really pushed it to a different level.
As for it being a gimmick.. at this level, yes. the rotate commands for example are simply impractical in comparison to keyboard shortcuts but gestures like swipe, two-finger scolling, pinch etc. are all quite innovative in terms of HCI.. TBH though, all this is doing is paving the way to larger dedicated multitouch trackpads for interfacing directly with various software frameworks using customizable gestures. Right now, the resolution (and the physical size) of the capacitve sensor grids used is simply to small to allow for this tech to really show its potential but in terms of media manipulation for video/audio editors and animators, we've barely scraped the surface of what's possible here.. - iEnigma, on 03/10/2009, -5/+8I'll show you a finger, Trebeck.
- Pxtl, on 03/10/2009, -2/+5So, when does Apple finally unveil their tablet PC? This is obviously what they're building up to.
- jakereilly, on 03/10/2009, -2/+5I'm still waiting for the foot gestures, until then, no buy.
- macchappy, on 03/11/2009, -0/+3They should also stop designing new displays and keyboards, seeing as people who don't have all of their fingers and/or vision cannot use them.
- wild, on 03/11/2009, -0/+3Ah yea, that damn thing. I still have nightmares. Goske's eyeballs are still burned into the back of my head.
- t0ny, on 03/10/2009, -0/+35 buttons? Am I missing something I'm counting 4. The side buttons is only one button.
- digitalpencil, on 03/10/2009, -2/+5they still suck..
/macuser - wild, on 03/10/2009, -0/+3They still making y'all ink out full letterforms on clayboards? Good times, those were.
- Philbert, on 03/10/2009, -0/+3Next thing you know it'll be toes, then elbows, then who knows what else. You'll need a touch pad the size of a Twister game just to work the thing.
- KSUdesigner, on 03/11/2009, -0/+3They were when I was there. Graduated in '04, not sure what they're up to now. You have a sick definition of good times LOL. Actually the letterforms weren't nearly as bad as the box, circle & grid project. I must've done that one 30 times and still got a C!
- utnow, on 03/10/2009, -0/+2Yes... desire to block competition is the only reason to defend one's intellectual property.
- seltaeb4, on 03/10/2009, -2/+4They've also had all of their intellectual property stolen from them since the 80s.
Since then, (and especially since Jobs returned) they've aggressively patented all of their innovations, so as not to have it stolen once more. - MtheoryX, on 03/10/2009, -1/+3That's what she said.
- MightyUpsetter, on 03/11/2009, -0/+2Idiot.
- CLShortFuse, on 03/10/2009, -1/+3MacBook Pros are 5 years old?
- ethana2, on 03/11/2009, -0/+2In compiz, I have exposé set to my bottom screen edge. It does indeed save a lot of time... Probably the best way to multitask.
- seltaeb4, on 03/10/2009, -0/+2Hmmm... If I'm not mistaken Apple had not patented multitouch so much as the motions which trigger the actions.
For example, any company could figure out a gesture to make a photo larger or smaller... but Apple, I believe, has patented the "pinch/stretch." So another company could come out and decide arbitrarily that one circle means "zoom" and two circles means "shrink," but if they implemented "pinch/stretch," they'd be in trouble.
The reasons for this are obvious... with the renewed interest in the Mac, and their newly-developed Smartphone dominance via iPhone, people will get used Apple's commands and only feel frustrated with the commands of other vendors' products. Or, they could pay Apple a licensing fee so they could use the Apple gestures...
It may not hold up in court, but they'd be fools not to try after the disastrous licensing agreements Sculley signed with Gates and thus giving away Apple's GUI to Microsoft with minor modifications (e.g., Apple's "Trash" became Microsoft's "Recycle Bin," the "click to close" box is on opposite sides of each Window, etc.)
Apple's already been hit by this by people who patented a vague theoretical future product. IIRC there was some guy who patented simply the "idea" of storing music on a hard disk, which would the user would interact with via software to manage the collection; for example, list the song playing, maybe show a band picture or an album cover. All of this was on paper, mind you—he never even bothered to try making it himself... but when Apple came out with iTunes, he emerged, saying, "hey look, Apple stole my idea! I want compensation."
By that logic, suppose my great-great-grandfather had, in 1880, said that he thought sounds and pictures could be (someday) beamed into people's homes, which they would watch on a glass screen; then, in 1950, claiming that Zenith and RCA and Philco owed him millions of dollars for stealing his "idea."
For another look on the unusual state of IP law, check out this fully valid patent (#5,443,036) granted in 1995:
<a class="user" href="<a class="user" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_exercising_ ... rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_exercising_ ...</a> rel="nofollow"><a class="user" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_exercising_ ... rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_exercising_ ... ...</a> -
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