Apple Patents Switch-Less Force Touch Keyboard, Could Lead to Thinner Macs

[Dabombinable]

You'll get no arguments from me. I'd gladly pay the extra amount for the trackpad alone seeing as most other trackpads still aren't as good as the one that Apple uses (excluding force touch...I'm not a fan of that). 

 

last time I checked the A9/A9X tops the charts.

That isn't x86 however and only iOS runs on it.

 

AFAIK, they were the first to use SandyBridge processors. Back in the day, used a 760M which was pretty much in any notebook the size of the 15" rMBP etc...its not like they shove crappy hardware into their machines. That's not true. Except the new iMac. A 5400rpm HDD? ARE YOU SERIOUS APPLE??? WHO THE HELL THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA??????????????

That was the Apple with and shortly after Steve Jobs. This is the new Apple we are talking about.

[TechGod]

That isn't x86 however and only iOS runs on it.

 

That was the Apple with and shortly after Steve Jobs. This is the new Apple we are talking about.

You're crazy if you thing Steve Jobs was some sort of God. 

[Slick]

ew

[Dabombinable]

You're crazy if you thing Steve Jobs was some sort of God. 

I've never thought that. Straight up Apple became far worse after he died.

[Toddwjp]

Apple should change there motto to its never thin enough

[79wjd]

Apple should change there motto to its never thin enough

Too bad the 6s/6s+ are ever so slightly thicker  

[Toddwjp]

Too bad the 6s/6s+ are ever so slightly thicker

 

motto can still apply, eg its never thin enough

[deviant88]

But how else will Apple sell "new" fashion accessories?

 

[Peepnbrick]

This sounds painful on my fingers. Apple convinved everyone that force though and their haptic feedback engine worked well on their trackpads, even though there was serious initial backlash to that.

 

I want this to work, because it would be amazing if it felt real. I don't have high hopes, though.

[patrickjp93]

This seems like a horrible, horrible idea.

I know what typing on a touch keyboard feels like, and force touch would only fix the issue accidental key presses when you put your hand down on it.

It would not fix the issue of you jamming your fingers on a piece of glass which feels awful. It wouldn't fix the issue of the lack of tactile feedback either. So you would have to watch the text as you write it in order to confirm that you are pressing the buttons. Speaking of watching things, you would have no way of knowing where your fingers are positioned. Keyboards got bumps on F and J for a reason...

If you still don't know where your fingers are on a keyboard just by memory, I question how it is you learned to type.

[Dabombinable]

If you still don't know where your fingers are on a keyboard just by memory, I question how it is you learned to type.

Keyboards come in varrying sizes and sometimes with slightly different designs. Each key has its own texture with a gap between keys (which helps you distinguish between them) and raised bumps on F, J and 5. Notice what Apple's keyboard would be missing, each of which is important for accurate touch typing.

[foxhound590]

If you still don't know where your fingers are on a keyboard just by memory, I question how it is you learned to type.

on a glass surface your fingers gradually move from there original position the bump  and curve on keys is there to stop this happening

[nicholaswillems]

Because some of us actually value portability and lightness, if they can make a computer thinner and lighter, but give it good performance, great battery life and a great display, then that is a good thing

 

If we want technology to get better, we have to find ways to make it smaller and lighter, otherwise we may aswell just make a graphics card the size of a car

 

The problem is that they are wasting performance (thermal throttling etc. on the new macbook) to make it thinner.

[ShadowCaptain]

The problem is that they are wasting performance (thermal throttling etc. on the new macbook) to make it thinner.

 

For the tasks most people do on the macbook, it will not throttle under OSX

[patrickjp93]

on a glass surface your fingers gradually move from there original position the bump and curve on keys is there to stop this happening

Not an issue I seem to have. Oh well.

[Nowak]

Fuck no. I absolutely hate typing on my phone and would rather have a real keyboard with tactile feedback whenever possible. Touch keyboards are no different than onscreen keyboards in the sense that they don't offer any tactile feedback.

 

There's a reason why Microsoft doesn't make the Touch Cover for the Surface anymore.

[LAwLz]

Not an issue I seem to have. Oh well.

Have you actually typed on a full size touch keyboard? In before you lie and say you have and that you got like 100 WPM on it on the first try.

The closest thing I have tried is touch typing on my tablet, and that was awful. I had no idea where on the key I was pressing. It might have been dead in the center and it might have been just on the edge. The result was that even a slight movement such as re-positioning my arm on my desk caused me to start mistyping.

The only reason why touch keyboards work on phones and tablets are because you are looking at them all the time. It might not be your main focus, but the keys and your fingers are close enough that you will see where you are pressing anyway.

[patrickjp93]

Have you actually typed on a full size touch keyboard? In before you lie and say you have and that you got like 100 WPM on it on the first try.

The closest thing I have tried is touch typing on my tablet, and that was awful. I had no idea where on the key I was pressing. It might have been dead in the center and it might have been just on the edge. The result was that even a slight movement such as re-positioning my arm on my desk caused me to start mistyping.

The only reason why touch keyboards work on phones and tablets are because you are looking at them all the time. It might not be your main focus, but the keys and your fingers are close enough that you will see where you are pressing anyway.

Provide small indents in the center of where keys "should" be on a haptic feedback keyboard, heck have letters sticking up slightly above the surface... There are ways to do this.

[79 Potatoes]

K. Just don't make them thinner FFS

[Ex14]

I really don't see how the can improve this so much so that the touch typist can use it.

several people have already brought up the valid arguments against it ( not being able to determine finger position due to no indication) and that Even MS efforts were in vain.

adding vibration would work, but wouldn't that negate the "thinness" aspect? Also not to mention the probable battery hit having the vibration motor go ham.

well I guess it's in execution like what @GoodBytes said. frankly skeptical about it, esp with my experience with the retina macbook "revolutionary" keys.

[LAwLz]

Provide small indents in the center of where keys "should" be on a haptic feedback keyboard, heck have letters sticking up slightly above the surface... There are ways to do this.

That could partially solve the orientation issue. It won't solve any of the other major issues I mentioned though.

 

At best I see this ending up being like a touch cover but made out of glass instead of that foam-ish material Microsoft used. I can't speak for everyone but I thought the touch cover sucked ass for typing anything more than a short note on.

[Trik'Stari]

At what fucking point will their products be thin enough?

 

I mean seriously. Isn't shit already thin enough?

[patrickjp93]

That could partially solve the orientation issue. It won't solve any of the other major issues I mentioned though.

 

At best I see this ending up being like a touch cover but made out of glass instead of that foam-ish material Microsoft used. I can't speak for everyone but I thought the touch cover sucked ass for typing anything more than a short note on.

Unless you're pounding your fingertips into the keys, I don't see there being any issues of discomfort, and what I mentioned covers maintaining orientation.

 

If you can learn to type on Cherry MX Red switches, moving to a haptic keyboard is a tiny step.

[patrickjp93]

At what fucking point will their products be thin enough?

 

I mean seriously. Isn't shit already thin enough?

Nope. as long as Apple is losing to Samsung and ASUS, it's not thin enough.

[Aniallation]

Learn how to touch type and it won't be a problem   If you don't have to look for the keys you can type quite fast on even an iPad.