This photo, from an article discussing Apple’s patents and resulting products that may become available, stokes my nerdlust to a fine fury. Since I saw Dillinger padding out some text on his desk’s virtual touch keyboard back in 1982 (good lord I’ve gotten old), I’ve been waiting for reality to catch up with the movies.
Imagine a keyboard that could be dynamically reconfigured and
customized however you like, generally or on a per application
basis. You could stick the Control key where it belongs, next
to the a. You could rearrange the whole keyboard based on a
game’s controls. Something I hadn’t thought of, but which the
article suggests: pressing Command or Alt could change the
image of all the other keys to display the functions available
through key combinations.
Imagine opening your laptop to a flat glass keyboard area that lights up with your personal, customized configuration.
Actually, I don’t even want a laptop, I want to sit at a drafting style table, plug my iPhone into the side and have the whole tabletop awaken to my personlized interface. But that’s another daydream.
One presaged, perhaps, by the dock-able tablet computer on which Apple already has a patent.
End of line.
Tron desk picture via New Home Gadgets.