Apple describes new interface for iPod Apple Patent Application: Electronic Device Having Display and Surrounding Touch Sensitive Bezel for User Interface and Control Apple has previous described new iPod designs (in patent applications) which incorporate a touch sensitive surface into the display. There seems a scepticism on the web about designs becoming reality due to [...]

Wifi, WiMax, UWB iPod with microphone and the ability to identify songs? Apple is constantly testing and trying refinements of its iPod line of products. These refinements range from the sensible and sane to ideas that seem to on the StarTrek side of sane. The recent patent from Apple falls somewhere towards the StarTrek end [...]

New Patent app: Apple Touch Sensitive iPod with multiple touch sensitive surfaces Patent Application: 20060197750 Filed: April 26, 2005 Inventors: Kerr; Duncan, Hotelling; Steve and Huppi; Brian Imagine an iPod with no buttons and a screen covering its entire front surface – is this the face of the next iPod? The new Apple patent application [...]

Today we want to give you a preview of Leopard. First I want to tell you there are some top secret features that we’re keeping close to the chest. Steven P. Jobs, August 2006 Why Steve? It’s very annoying! The most glaring Leopard omission was regarding the Finder- supposedly codenamed Chardonnay – Apple essentially said [...]

Apple patent applicant for a semantic file browser for OS X Finder. Files would be searched and arranged in a hierarchy based on meaning. An exciting possibility for the future of the Finder.

Apple details wireless syncing for iPods in patent application

This patent application details Apple’s plan for wireless syncing for iPods. Wireless syncing as described in this patent is pretty much the same process as syncing using USB or firewire – except wireless.

The patent suggests 802.11 (wifi) as the protocol suggested for the wireless connection (and there is no mention of Bluetooth- presumably because it would be too slow). iPod-to-iPod syncing is also covered as a possible application .

Apple has applied for another patent that leads more weight to the rumours surrounding the release of an iPhone. This patent application deals with an iTunes like client on a phone and how a mobile phone would interact with the iTunes store.

This is a great idea from Apple- often I have my iPod safely tucked away in my bag and want to change songs- at the moment basically all you can do is go next or previous- navigating the menu system of the iPod is impossible without looking at the screen. This patent application looks at adding a voice menu system to the iPod so you could navigate the menus without looking at the screen (great for driving etc). The Voice menu system can also act like a radio DJ announcing each song (I can imagine that getting quite annoying).

A new Apple patent application shows Apple’s plans for virtual keyboards. Interestingly one of the figures shows a keyboard similar the virtual keyboard on the Ultra-Mobile PC platform. These arc-like virtual keyboards are perhaps an obvious solution to allow input while holding the devices. Apple filed for this patent on September 16 last year (surely after Microsoft had come up with its prototypes?).

Peer to Peer sharing by iChat in Apple Patent Application

In a new Apple patent application Apple details putting some peer-to-peer sharing capabilities. Not so much to set information free but as a means of selling more songs through the iTunes music store. Other features would the ability to be more aware of what other iChat users were up to (open documents, movies watched, songs listen to etc). A Brave new world?