The iPhone is designed to be used with a single hand, hence their seemingly opposed stance to create a larger iPhone as we won't be able to use it with one hand and using your other to operate it could become tiresome.
If that comes to fruition I think it's meant to be laid down on a table/desk for continued use.
I've never heard that term, and I definitely have a device like that lying around somewhere that is pretty nice to use really. I suppose it depends on your use cases.
I think an iPad Pro (detachable or reversible keyboard cover) would be designed for use in both scenarios. Tablet for portable, laptop for stationary. I'll see if I can dig up what devices I have around here but stuff like this has a strong future I believe:
Well before they even get into touch, I've been waiting for years now for a company to come out with an affordable and language-adaptable keyboard that simply lights up the keys according to language selection. Customing certain keys would add to the awesomeness of one keyboard (SKU) for every language known to man... and possibly those not discovered yet.
There was talk of something like this eons ago... wonder what ever happened to it?
Well before they even get into touch, I've been waiting for years now for a company to come out with an affordable and language-adaptable keyboard that simply lights up the keys according to language selection. Customing certain keys would add to the awesomeness of one keyboard (SKU) for every language known to man... and possibly those not discovered yet.
There was talk of something like this eons ago... wonder what ever happened to it?
Some people didn't like the move to chiclet keys. I know that moving to touch is a different shift as you don't get the tactile feedback for touch typing but they can add tactile feedback with vibration. People have said it feels just like pressing a button.
[VIDEO]
It's a more intuitive set of controls and completely adaptable to different software contexts. Think of when you use a video editing package or Photoshop, you hardly every type but they map the keys so you have 'i' for in-point, 'o' for output, command-x for cut, b for brush etc. These are things people have to learn and they change for every program. When did you last learn a keyboard equivalent in iOS? You don't need them, there's not even a command-key. If you need a brush, you tap on a brush icon.
The speaker grills can have illumination down the side to indicate volume when you touch them and just slide your finger up and down the grill to adjust volume instead of tapping the volume key one volume step at a time. Every key on a keyboard is digital, touch can be analog. Think of using the brush in Photoshop how you always have to right-click and move the size and softness sliders, these can be visible on the laptop base while the brush is enabled and you can slide the size or pinch zoom the shape with one hand while moving the brush with the mouse or via the trackpad.
The keyboard area can transform into a musical instrument, strings for guitar, piano keys or a drum kit. Browsers can show bookmarks and history. When iTunes is playing, it can show a small media player.
For typing, they can add a numpad on demand, they can ship a single design and allow software to set any keyboard layout and any language. If you speak Chinese but live in the US, you can buy a US laptop and set it to a Chinese keyboard. You can have a .com button. Instead of the cumbersome alt-key shortcuts, you can have symbols for trademark, copyright, mathematics, currency in view according to your preference.
This wouldn't have to be a glass surface because the metal is quite smooth but it depends if they want to avoid dirt accumulating and what tactile feedback they can provide and they have to consider structural strength. I think a laser perforated metal surface would be nice with an even backlight across the whole surface. E-ink could be used either in small patches or as a large sheet to block the backlight in the desired pattern and this has the benefit that the display remains in that pattern without continuous power.
They'd still have to figure out how to do hardware controls like boot options but say you had one physical power button. When you press it and touch the keyboard area, the keyboard can show actual options like Bootcamp, Recovery Mode, Single User Mode, Target Mode, Safe Boot, PRAM reset, without having to lookup the shortcuts.
If it takes up the trackpad area too, they can have split zones for left and right-click, even middle-click.
It also works for gaming because rather than cramp your hand into the key layout, you can set it to anything. Games that have lots of weapon selectors or whatever can show these all at once and you wouldn't have to configure them yourself. This was a problem since Quake. Is number 7 the rocket launcher or the shotgun?
Some people will still like to have keys they can push down on and there will always be the option to use Bluetooth keyboards.
You've got it. A virtual keyboard has so many possibilities. A dj app could have a virtual mixing deck. A drawing app could have an artists pallet etc. Bring it on Apple.
I'm not surprised, a touch screen keyboard is likely, however people do point out that if they are still using PC goal is to get the physical keyboard, I think if they added it option with backlit or touch would be great.
* Adjustable control whose purpose an app could define would be great. I hate having to mouse to those tiny sliders in apps. Using it for scrolling through web pages would be great too.
* A virtual keyboard? Not so great. No tactile feedback. On the other hand, having the keyboard lighting dim when a user stops typing to extend battery life would be fine.
In Star Trek I haven't seen a single keyboard ever, in fact in the Voyager series they mention how the use of a keyboard is unusual to them and they need a minute to figure it out
So keeping that in mind and looking at Apple's recent (couple of years) major changes we could be looking at a future, where a physical keyboard is not the default and a touch interface where the keyboard is now might replace it. I mean think about it: Dictation in OS X has come a long way, Siri might eventually at some point become a bit more useful and be integrated into OS X. The Computer as we know it might become an always on background service we can talk to and a notebook might be replaced with a wired display that utilizes the computing power of a desktop anywhere in the network.
the emperor's new keyboard, if used for actually typing, would be yet another example of (useless) form over (practical) function and the general iOSing of things not necessarily mobile, but it will look cool.
now, if you are talking about function buttons, great. virtual keycaps would be awesome on physical keys, but if you are talking about a virtual keyboard with no physical keys, no thanks.
who really benefits from a virtual keyboard with no physical keys? manufacturers who lower cost at expense of actual practicality. but, sure, go for it.
It's a more intuitive set of controls and completely adaptable to different software contexts. Think of when you use a video editing package or Photoshop, you hardly every type but they map the keys so you have 'i' for in-point, 'o' for output, command-x for cut, b for brush etc. These are things people have to learn and they change for every program. When did you last learn a keyboard equivalent in iOS? You don't need them, there's not even a command-key. If you need a brush, you tap on a brush icon.
Excellent use-case argument for a touchscreen keyboard (a la iPad), but I don't understand the need for what Apple has patented here, which seems to be invisible buttons embedded in the chassis. Maybe there's a good use but the examples cited in the article don't really grab me.
Comments
He meant this:
From which the term 'gorilla arm' comes from.
The iPhone is designed to be used with a single hand, hence their seemingly opposed stance to create a larger iPhone as we won't be able to use it with one hand and using your other to operate it could become tiresome.
If that comes to fruition I think it's meant to be laid down on a table/desk for continued use.
I've never heard that term, and I definitely have a device like that lying around somewhere that is pretty nice to use really. I suppose it depends on your use cases.
I think an iPad Pro (detachable or reversible keyboard cover) would be designed for use in both scenarios. Tablet for portable, laptop for stationary. I'll see if I can dig up what devices I have around here but stuff like this has a strong future I believe:
There was talk of something like this eons ago... wonder what ever happened to it?
Well before they even get into touch, I've been waiting for years now for a company to come out with an affordable and language-adaptable keyboard that simply lights up the keys according to language selection. Customing certain keys would add to the awesomeness of one keyboard (SKU) for every language known to man... and possibly those not discovered yet.
There was talk of something like this eons ago... wonder what ever happened to it?
It did happen, but barely: http://www.amazon.co.uk/getDigital-de-Optimus-Maximus/dp/B001M44ZB8
You've got it. A virtual keyboard has so many possibilities. A dj app could have a virtual mixing deck. A drawing app could have an artists pallet etc. Bring it on Apple.
* A virtual keyboard? Not so great. No tactile feedback. On the other hand, having the keyboard lighting dim when a user stops typing to extend battery life would be fine.
--Mike Perry
So keeping that in mind and looking at Apple's recent (couple of years) major changes we could be looking at a future, where a physical keyboard is not the default and a touch interface where the keyboard is now might replace it. I mean think about it: Dictation in OS X has come a long way, Siri might eventually at some point become a bit more useful and be integrated into OS X. The Computer as we know it might become an always on background service we can talk to and a notebook might be replaced with a wired display that utilizes the computing power of a desktop anywhere in the network.
touch typing on iCrap sucks.
the emperor's new keyboard, if used for actually typing, would be yet another example of (useless) form over (practical) function and the general iOSing of things not necessarily mobile, but it will look cool.
now, if you are talking about function buttons, great. virtual keycaps would be awesome on physical keys, but if you are talking about a virtual keyboard with no physical keys, no thanks.
who really benefits from a virtual keyboard with no physical keys? manufacturers who lower cost at expense of actual practicality. but, sure, go for it.
my hand cramps just thinking about it...
Heh. What's a CD?
Funny!
Unless you’ve done it for more than five minutes. Then you realize it works fine.
Excellent use-case argument for a touchscreen keyboard (a la iPad), but I don't understand the need for what Apple has patented here, which seems to be invisible buttons embedded in the chassis. Maybe there's a good use but the examples cited in the article don't really grab me.