Pictures of Apple-branded 3cm-by-3cm touchscreen surface
Pictures of a mysterious, tiny display, measuring just 3cm by 3 cm and branded as an Apple part, are claimed to be a small touchscreen that could find its way into one of the company's future products.
The pictures came from Taiwanese blog Apple.pro, which speculated that the screen could be used in an "iPod touch nano," "iPod touch shuffle," or a wristbound product it dubbed "iWatch." As the part is simply the display and no other hardware, it is unknown whether it is actually a touchscreen, or just a small LCD display.
Apple's current iPod nano has a display that measures diagonally 2.2 inches (nearly 5.6 centimeters), larger than the purported Apple part shown in pictures.
Recently, Apple.pro has obtained a number of legitimate Apple parts before the final product was released. The blog showed off the white panel for the then-unannounced iPhone 4 in May, and also offered a look at the battery inside the iPhone 4 in June.
And in 2008, the blog posted photos of the new unibody enclosure of Apple's redesigned MacBook Pro before it was released.
But also in 2008, the site posted photos of an alleged aluminum 13-inch MacBook casing which proved to be false. And in 2009, the blog claimed that Apple was working on a 15-inch MacBook Air.
The pictures came from Taiwanese blog Apple.pro, which speculated that the screen could be used in an "iPod touch nano," "iPod touch shuffle," or a wristbound product it dubbed "iWatch." As the part is simply the display and no other hardware, it is unknown whether it is actually a touchscreen, or just a small LCD display.
Apple's current iPod nano has a display that measures diagonally 2.2 inches (nearly 5.6 centimeters), larger than the purported Apple part shown in pictures.
Recently, Apple.pro has obtained a number of legitimate Apple parts before the final product was released. The blog showed off the white panel for the then-unannounced iPhone 4 in May, and also offered a look at the battery inside the iPhone 4 in June.
And in 2008, the blog posted photos of the new unibody enclosure of Apple's redesigned MacBook Pro before it was released.
But also in 2008, the site posted photos of an alleged aluminum 13-inch MacBook casing which proved to be false. And in 2009, the blog claimed that Apple was working on a 15-inch MacBook Air.
Comments
At last.
Time will tell I guess. I actually have no idea what it might be good for other than what has already been posted.
maybe it could sync with my calendar besides having world time zones and that's about it, can't ask for more on such a small and energy efficient device like all watches must be
At that size, if it was a touch screen, about the only thing it would be good for is scrolling, not for selecting things on the screen. But that would be a navigation advantage over today's non-smart phones and eliminate the need for a scroll wheel.
I'd buy an iWatch
maybe it could sync with my calendar besides having world time zones and that's about it, can't ask for more on such a small and energy efficient device like all watches must be
The world is waiting for Apple to bring a notification system to the lock screen.
Perhaps they are going to bring notifications to a watch screen?
C.
Some are speculating in that it is actually a display for a future Apple TV remote.
Bingo. Not just @TV, but for all Apple products, and a universal remote.
Solar for under glass backs.
That's exactly what I was thinking.
I think they did have a patent for that as well - a screen with built-in solar cells.
That would be amazing.
I hope it's for fingerprint ID. With a bit of cunning, we can say goodbye to passwords.
At last.
See, thats a bad thing, and only a modern geek would find digital fingerprinting yourself to be cooler than it is dangerous.
damnit all
This is for the Magic Keyboard
I was thinking the same thing. Didn't they just put in a patent for touch enabled "invisible" buttons on a MacBook?
I doubt it's for a TV remote. Touch sucks when there is a disconnect between the touch device and the screen. They need a Wiimote clone if they want to bring "touch" to the big screen.
EDIT:
Here we go.
Apple exploring invisible buttons
I would buy an iWatch. I imagine it would be called iTime or something like that though.
The problem with watches are they are no longer cool. But the main problem for Apple is that if they were to make an electronic product that straps to the wrist it'd be an iPod, and the problem with that is because of its location your earphones would need to be wireless - but battery technology isn't yet good enough for it to last long enough to justify it as a product.
Other than those issue the idea of a small, wrist-bound touch-screen iPod sounds very useful. Especially when you think about it as an athletes iPod.
iPod run
Pictures of a mysterious, tiny display, measuring just 3cm by 3 cm and branded as an Apple part, are claimed to be a small touchscreen that could find its way into one of the company's future products.
Oh my GOD! It's a TRICORDER!
I doubt it's for a TV remote. Touch sucks when there is a disconnect between the touch device and the screen.
God forbid they start going there with their remotes. As it stands their current remote is actually lacking buttons. It might be interesting if the remote just displayed some useful info on it though. That said it doesn't look likely, 'cause battery life would suck.
Some are speculating in that it is actually a display for a future Apple TV remote.
Time will tell I guess. I actually have no idea what it might be good for other than what has already been posted.
That's what I was thinking. It controls your AppleTV or Mac Mini in Front Row mode. The display normally looks and works just like a scroll wheel or the current Apple Remote, but if you are using your TV for the internet, or even to search for TV shows, it allows you to enter text for search, URL's, passwords etc..
Sure, 3cm x 3 cm is too small for a Qwerty keyboard, the iPhone's display is 5cm wide. Use an iPhone style KeyPad to enter alphanumeric text.
Remember, unlike a conventional phone, where you have to push the "G" button twice to get "H", 3 times to get "I", on a touch screen you push "G", and then "H" and "I" appear and you slide up for "H" and right for "I".
Who knows, it may even include a tiny camera so you can Face Time over your TV?