Immersion - Apple rumor - yes, again...

This article (from VentureBeat) is a great summary of the many speculations surronding an Apple "Mc book touch" - worth a read even if the speculation is wrong. A few recent Apple patents are also quoted, with interesting pictures:

>>Apple’s major multi-touch plans continue to come into focus

A lot of companies file patents for products they are never going to make. Apple is no exception. But given how many it has filed the past few years for advanced multi-touch technology and devices, it’d be very surprising if a multi-touch-enabled tablet device isn’t coming from the company at some point in the near future.

The latest patent filing, uncovered by AppleInsider, is one of the most in-depth yet, showing a maturity in the project that may or may not be a product that has been affectionately dubbed by the press the “MacBook Touch.”

Though it’s not mentioned, to me the key to a successful full-sized multi-touch keyboard is tactile or haptic feedback. That is a small sensory feedback on your fingers so you are able to orient where you are on the keyboard. There has been talk about this technology coming to the iPhone, and it would likely help mute some of the complaints users have about the device not having a physical keyboard. Several companies such as Senseg and Immersion are working on this technology. In fact, it’s been rumored that Apple has licensed Immersion’s technology.