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Apple Inc.: 21st Century And Beyond

July 6th, 2008 · 5 Comments · Apple, Applications, iPhone

iphone multi touch

Apple has filed for a patent for something very intriguing indeed, a “Multi-Touch Gesture Dictionary”. Now what does this mean? Well, it means that Apple has learned from the iPhone. They have learned that there are better, more futuristic, ways of communication. The patent suggests that Apple’s customers may soon be learning a brand new way of communicating actions to their computers, iPods, and iPhones in the future. Now, I don’t mean the limited gestures available for the iPhone, iPod touch, Macbook Pro, and Macbook Air, I mean a full language, as in like sign language for your Apple device. In the patent, an analogy with the American sign language was made: “Users of these multi-touch interfaces may make use of hand and finger gestures to interact with their computers in ways that a conventional mouse and keyboard cannot easily achieve. A multi-touch gesture can be as simple as using one or two fingers to trace out a particular trajectory or pattern, or as intricate as using all the fingers of both hands in a complex sequence of movements reminiscent of American Sign Language.”

Also this was in the patent application: “Each motion of hands and fingers, whether complex or not, conveys a specific meaning or action that is acted upon by the computer or electronic device at the behest of the user. The number of multi-touch gestures can be quite large because of the wide range of possible motions by fingers and hands. It is conceivable that an entirely new gesture language might evolve that would allow users to convey complex meaning and commands to computers and electronic devices by moving their hands and fingers in particular patterns,”

The patent application goes on to explain how the user multi-touch dictionary can display one or more actions associated with a chord. Now this doesn’t just include making gestures with your fingers against a multi-touch touch screen surface, oh no, the patent also indicates other ways of manifesting actions on your device. As, waving your hand or waving a particular body part over the surface. Also when you press a button or something of the sort, it will be able to do specific actions depending on how much pressure you place on a particular area. Also audible events, such as a sophisticated voice recognition database.

This is the final quote of the patent application: “In other embodiments, gesture dictionary applications may be triggered by events other than presentation of a chord. These events may include hand parts hovering over a multi-touch surface, audible events (for example, voice commands), activation of one or more buttons on a device, or applying a force and/or touch to a force and/or touch sensitive portion of a device.”

I am very intrigued as to what will happen in the future, many new inventions and services have been created in such a small amount of time. Mabe this last patent is Apple’s way of saying good bye to the 20th century method of computing, and rather looking twards the 21st century and beyond. This is a smart move, as I am sorry to say, but Steve jobs can’t be CEO of Apple for ever…

-Alan Vazquez

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5 Comments so far ↓

  • GEORGE

    “This is a smart move, as I am sorry to say, but Steve jobs can’t be CEO of Apple for ever…”

    I do not believe that SJ is the conceiver of all good things apple. I do believe he is the consummate strategic planner which has been ingrained into the Apple culture. That culture can survive the honorable retirement of a CEO.

  • Alan Vazquez

    George, but man, look, when John Sculley was CEO Apple was almost bankrupt. The board of Apple was even thinking about closing shop. But, when Steve Jobs came back to Apple, and after selling neXT Generation Software to Apple, he brought the company back from the dead. He introduced the iMac, then OS X. Then the thing that did it was the iPod, and now the iPhone. Look, all I’m saying is that mabe I’m not the only one that believes this, mabe even Steve knows it. We’ll just have to see…

  • GEORGE

    Alan, I appreciate what you are saying and I believe that SJ was the saviour for Apple. All I am saying is that I think SJ has imprinted himself so much into the culture of Apple that it would take a long time for it not to be there when he leaves. He has filled the senior ranks with people like himself. Apple will undoubtedly miss him, but the company is in good hands thanks to him. After all, look at the recent hire of Segway’s Doug Field.

    As a matter of fact, here is a recipe I just conceived- put SJ, Doug Field, a few Apple top designers and Apple’s PA Semi into a pot, gently stir for 18 months and we might be surprised at what is brewed.

  • Alan Vazquez

    LOL. I guess you do have a small tini tiny point. 🙂

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