An Apple patient application suggests Apple might be extending the technology behind the iPhone’s touch sensitive screen to a new generation of mice. Users would be able to perform gestures, such as pinching or a virtual scroll wheel, as well as the normal range of left, right mouse clicks and scrolling. One embodiment of the touch-sensing mouse would use a light source within the mouse and an optically transmissive mouse top surface and internal sensors to determine the positions of the users fingers etc.

Apple is considering over forms of input for its iPod/iPhone range. This pat application recently released describes using the rear surface of an iPod/iPhone as the input surface. Touching this surface would change the UI on the front surface of the device. The touch-sensitive surface would be configured that differences in pressure could be used [...]

Graphical user interface for computers having variable size icons #20070079255 Apple has filed for a patent for variably sized icons (within a single Finder window). Apple states in the application that the icons in Finder windows could be set to vary in size based on a number of criteria; the number of items in a [...]

Steve Jobs, CEO Apple and Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group announce that you can buy DRM-free and higher quality (buying albums is the same price for the higher quality). These undeniable improvements in the music come at a price: Apple and EMI will charge 30% more for the higher quality DRM-free music. EMI doesn’t [...]

This patent suggests the use of RFID tags in hardware that exchange the vital information to allow setup of new hardware on a wireless network. You bring your new iTV up in close proximity to your wireless base station (which has a RFID receiver) and they exchange information from the RFID tag. A common problem [...]

iPhone Dock – Which way is up? One of the loudest gasps at the iPhone’s announcement was when Steve Jobs tilted the iPhone and the display changed auto-magically from portrait to landscape. landscape orientation is better for some uses- watching video, viewing landscape pictures and cover flow. Docks tend to force the iPod/iPhone/iTablet into one [...]

It seems every person and their dog/cat likes to give their two cents when it comes to what might make the bill at Macworld. So, if you can’t beat them, join them. Hrmpf’s Predictions PDA/iPod/remote control with wifi and optional telephony wifi allows iChat audio chat/IMing from any wifi hotspot allows exchange between iPods (crippled [...]

Apple is out and proud about Resolution Independent User Interface Design it would be beneficial to provide a means to specify the design of a graphical user interface object independent of its display resolution. Such a description may advantageously be used by a rendering module to display the designed object at substantially any resolution. A [...]

Apple seems to be quite happy to talk about the possibility of an iPhone in its patent applications. This patent application covers what appears to be the latest generation aluminum iPod- though it says the manufacturing system could be used for mobile phones, handheld computers as well as iPods. The interesting feature of the application [...]

The Ultimate Customisable iPod/MacBook/Tablet- add the controls and software and make it a phone or what ever you want. Apple has just filed a new patent application for the adding of physical controls (like buttons or sliders etc) to the touch sensitive surfaces of electronic devices. Apple seems to propose that you take a ‘blank’ [...]