1) Can they patent something that is basicly a bigger version of what is already in use? It seems just a larger version of the touchpad.

2) I see users having problems with it if one rests ones hand on it while typing. The smaller touchpad can be frustrating and a larger one would be even more so.

and here I am, thinking that the touchpad on my MBP is wide enough

Is the patent-office so money hungry (from app fee)
that they allow anything to be patend?

Why not patent a 10.1" stearing weel, now one have 10.1 inch patent.

that their patent illustration shows two mouse buttons... shows how much they like their own limitation...

That's the problem, you thought it was wide enough until Apple told you it was too narrow... You've been brainwashed!

-Andy

Apple and other companies have been sued a lot recently for patent infringements that should really be classified as "obvious inventions".... so Apple is just taking the safe road and patenting anything and everything that is incorporated into new or potential future platforms.

personally, i'd like the touchpad to go away as i can't stand using them and always carry a mouse with my computer.

rather have a tablet PC

That thing looks stupid. What advantage does it give the user? I already get frustrated enough accidenally bumping the touchpad. I can only think of bad things happening with it. I never ever felt frustrated with the (now apparent) narrowness of my regular sized touchpad.

I'm going to take a patient out of human anatomy. So that way every time someone needs an operation i'll get paid. Tech patients are just getting stupid. oh... look... I made a screen with a text field in it. Here's my patient. Now pay up! Oh look I made the touch paid wider... here's they patient pay up!

Okay, I want in on this this patent frenzy. How about a small external LCD on the top of the notebook that can be used for minor functions like checking email, displaying the time, battery life, etc. I haven't seen that before and it might be useful so I better patent it just in case. Seriously, that would be MUCH more inventive than, "lets make a wider touch pad".

Not that I blame Apple in the slightest, I just think that the patent office should only accept novel patents that are reasonably outside the spectrum of current technology. Apple is just covering its own ass so they don't get sued like they did over the iPod interface.

why are americans patenting everything ?
even toilet papers are patented ? :D LOL

The patent was not for the big touch pad. it was for the system that can tell when you are using the touch pad on purpose or just by mistake.

Many companies would now be using a big touch pad, but people have a hard time accidentally clicking or moving the mouse pointer with the current ones.

If you make the mouse pad smart, you can make it as big as you want.

Apple is in the same business as every other business trying to protect future or possibly future IP. They analyze a market or device, guess where it could go, apply patents accordingly and wait until someone tries to use it unwittingly in their own device. Then they pull out their archaic patent and cry foul sue for royalties. It's called patent trolling. Try it yourself if you have an entrepreneurial spirit and no morals :)

As a funny side note, my touchpad freaked out while I was typing this from me accidently touching it.

I have

"It seems to go hand in hand with another Apple patent that has been making waves in the portable computing market, a multi-touch input device that can determine where the user's touch is in relation to the entire touchpad and how much pressure is being exerted."

This already exists in PC market, anyone who has a laptop with Synaptics software can take advantage of this, for instance, if you touch in the top right corner of the touchpad it maximizes the window, if you touch lower left it opens start menu, lower right it minimizes the current window, top left it opens the little menu that lets you maximize,minimize,close, etc... This exact same software lets you adjust the sensibility to diferentiate between an intended touch from an accidental touch.
I guess I'm getting used to this apple bullsh*t, trying to invent what's already invented. If you take a tablet PC without a screen and the screen permanently turned outside you have an "innovative" iMac.
Oh whell, "Move along, nothing to see here".

I think many of you have a very limited field of view of what this technology could be used for, let alone Nwik do you even know how a multi touch display works because what you described by using synaptics is no where near what multi touch is.

This innovation is just the combining of two technology's a touch pad made bigger and a multi touch interface, this would allow you to much more than just a bigger touch pad, and for the two mouse buttons in the picture has anyone other than me thought thought that with a multi touch interface it would enable you to control two mouse pointers working seperatly from each other therefore the two buttons, now wouldn't that improve work flow! i know i would like it.

U know wat, i still prefer the trackpoint in my IBM laptop, for those who dont know, it is the red 'eraser thingy' in the center of all ibm laptops.
Way easier to use than ALL touchpads... ... Though i do use the touchpad in my laptop, i use the trackpoint 90% of the time.

Why don't they pursue designs that people actually ask for - like being able to run Windows natively on a Mac (without Boot Camp, which is a PoS), or possibly allowing a native software layer that supports Windows applications without any kind of VM (or alternatively, a VM hypervisor built into the OS)? How about actually designing REAL desktops for consumers, not some half-baked mobile-on-desktop design with no upgradeability? What about allowing Microsoft to sell OEM copies of Microsoft Office for the Mac (Apple won't let Microsoft do that)?

Apple only uses 2 series of Intel chips - mobile, and Xeon. They DON'T use desktop chips AT ALL! When I can buy a desktop system for half the price and double the power, and be able to run the thousands of applications available on the market, Mac's are just not the rational, sane choice, whatsoever.

Then again, they can't even get their core software developed without major bugs that cause major system crashing (even on their own systems, despite their FUD) - eg. iPhone, iTunes, Quicktime, Safari, OS X, etc.

I just saw the best UMPC design available today and it kills everything that Apple's designs are coming out with - especially the iPhone, which is quite frankly, a joke. Made by HTC, it actually features USABLE HSDPA high-speed connectivity, unlike the iPhone. Plus it's a fully functional computer, again, unlike the iPhone. AND, it has a fully usable keyboard. um....iPhone - you still there? Nope, didn't think so.

Enjoy:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/gottabemobile/The_HTC_Shift_Hugo_Ortega_GBM.wmv

Waethorn, you are an idiot in every sense of the word if you believe that crap you just wrote.

....and so the Mackie trolls come crawling out from under the rocks.

in a sense that, now that Mac OS is built on wintel hardware...there should be the ability to run OS X on your intel machine...heck, some have already been succssful in hacking around getting OS X running on a PC. If Mac does indeed not use C2D chips in their desktops, then that is really bad...they are not giving their regular desktop users value for the dollar. How often do you see Xeons used in a gamer/personal/etc PC? Almost never...those users who need a Xeon are far less than those who do not need it.

Getting back to this news, though, it is neat to have the pad mentioned, for those who like the touchpads, but want more sliding room for when they use it, and want it to act as a palm rest when they're not using it.

"If Mac does indeed not use C2D chips in their desktops, then that is really bad"

Don't get me wrong. They ARE Core 2 Duo chips, but they're *MOBILE* versions, not desktop versions, so any desktop PC within even a fairly moderate difference speed of CPU, even lower clock speeds, will easily beat out a much more expensive iMac thanks to an increased FSB and cache. Lets not forget that there are no Quad-Core C2D Mobile chips either, so a reasonably priced quad-core Mac desktop just doesn't exist (note for prospective buyers: NONE of the Mac desktops are reasonably priced). You'd have to go with the over-inflated price of a Mac Pro in order to get quad-core performance, and even then it's not worth the money. I would almost bet that the ATI chips are not Radeon GPU's, but in fact ATI Radeon Mobility GPU's too, but that's mostly a guesstimation.

THAT's why Mac's are a joke!

*Who* is asking for the crap you talk about? Apple is doing great selling wintel machines as is. Boot camp does exactly what Apple states it does; care to *elaborate* on how it's a PoS?

"...allowing a native software layer that supports Windows applications without any kind of VM"
Brilliant! They can spend tens of millions to add an interpretation of MS's proprietary code and bloat their OS with all the buggy, security-hole filled Windows-ish shite that I bought Mac OS X in order to *avoid*!

Tech specs on their website say different. No "mobile" mentioned in the CPU description for the iMac. Where are you getting your info? I'm guessing from somewhere in your nether regions.

"When I can buy a desktop system for half the price and double the power, and be able to run the thousands of applications available on the market, Mac's are just not the rational, sane choice, whatsoever."
What pre-built system has specs comparable to a Mac at half the price? If there is one, I can only imagine what the system builder has to pre-load to subsidize that level of cost cutting.

"Then again, they can't even get their core software developed without major bugs that cause major system crashing"
As opposed to all the other software developers that get it right each and every time? Last I checked, OS X doesn't have the reputation for crashes that a certain other OS does. And do you even know what FUD means? Here's a hint: it's the exact opposite of what a company would want to produce about their own products.

"I just saw the best UMPC design available today and it kills everything that Apple's designs are coming out with - especially the iPhone"
Wow, imagine that, compare a smartphone to a UMPC and the phone comes up short on PC features! Whodathunkit?! Hey, you know what? I bet that HTC brick sucks at making phone calls, therefore, the iPhone kills it and everything else HTC makes! So, neh!

"Boot camp does exactly what Apple states it does; care to *elaborate* on how it's a PoS?"

Being not able to install Windows natively comes to mind.

"They can spend tens of millions to add an interpretation of MS's proprietary code and bloat their OS with all the buggy, security-hole filled Windows-ish shite that I bought Mac OS X in order to *avoid*!"

Oh and I'm sure that 50 patch update just released a few days ago is proof of OS X "security"....Windows Vista's patch update count last patch day - 11 (and those included Office 2007 updates too).

"Tech specs on their website say different. No "mobile" mentioned in the CPU description for the iMac."

Look at the specs - the FSB is telling, as are the speeds. There is no Core 2 Extreme 2.8GHz desktop CPU. Besides that, there's no way in h3ll you'd get a desktop chip cooled with that slim a design, sorry! All of the DVD drives are mobile drives also. This is common knowledge. Consider yourself out of the loop if you don't believe it.

"What pre-built system has specs comparable to a Mac at half the price?"

Not even close! I build systems for a living, and spending $1200(US) on a 2GHz Core 2 Duo desktop with 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive is a complete laugh!

"Last I checked, OS X doesn't have the reputation for crashes that a certain other OS does."

Oh no, of course not!

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mac crash

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=osx crash

"And do you even know what FUD means? Here's a hint: it's the exact opposite of what a company would want to produce about their own products."

I think you just stated what I just proved. Fancy that!

"Wow, imagine that, compare a smartphone to a UMPC and the phone comes up short on PC features! Whodathunkit?!"

And there's still nothing coming out of Cupertino that's even close....

You still end up with a full installation of Windows, which is what buyers are looking for. There is no sense from a cost/benefit standpoint for Apple to deliver a native install solution that delivers minimal advantages at extraordinary cost.

No, it's the virtual non-existence of malware and the lack of any real way for such software to cause the level of damage experienced by Windows users. How many of those patches are a response to widespread exploits as opposed to just findings by security-minded members of the open source community?

Yep, missed that part of the CPU specs completely, point conceded.

Great! If it's a laugh, it shouldn't be any trouble at all for you to post such a bargain system.

Gosh, you found two whole videos of OS X crashing! That *must* mean it's less reliable and has a bigger rep for being crash-prone than Windows!

"I think you just stated what I just proved. Fancy that!"
I'll take that as a "No, I have no idea what FUD means."

So you already know the specs on the UMPC that Apple is supposedly working on? Yeah, I'm sure you have the inside scoop on that one.

"There is no sense from a cost/benefit standpoint for Apple to deliver a native install solution that delivers minimal advantages at extraordinary cost."

Check again. OEM versions cost much less to customers, and likewise to system builders. Retail copies have a markup too, but no more so than OEM copies, and vice versa. The cost savings to customers by having Apple preinstall OEM copies would be very welcome, have no doubt. The investment in the added technical costs for Apple to deploy Windows would pay for itself several times over very quickly with the increase in system sales that they'd make.

"How many of those patches are a response to widespread exploits as opposed to just findings by security-minded members of the open source community?"

None - the holes that the Vista updates patched weren't exploited. In fact, in general Microsoft patches Windows far before any exploits are in the public. Sorry to say, but the majority of malware is self-inflicted. There are a few cases where this isn't true, but the VAST majority of malware actually is. Try downloading a copy of Morpheus with a decent virus scanner and you'll see what I mean - it includes a trojan downloader in the installer. Why do the majority of people download those programs? Everybody knows, but nobody will admit it - mostly to download pirated music, movies and programs. So first off, you're getting into something illegal. Do you really think the maintainers of the programs don't know this? So by that admittance, do you really think they care if they load up your system with spyware, and the networks that their program connects to is flooded with viruses? If you think that's a no, you really need a reality check - the companies that make spyware-infected P2P programs aren't ethical. It doesn't take much to protect a Windows system, and a little user education can go a long way. In a business, an educated, respectable IT person would lock down workstations anyway so this is also a non-issue.

"Yep, missed that part of the CPU specs completely, point conceded."

Did you also miss the point that Apple doesn't use Intel's CPU model numbers, but instead just posts the raw GHz speeds?

"Great! If it's a laugh, it shouldn't be any trouble at all for you to post such a bargain system."

I already did a cost comparison once before on a MacBook Pro vs. a Dell Latitude notebook with the same specs on here, and other boards - the cost difference was almost $1000, with the Dell being the cheaper option. Both systems were COMPLETE (Microsft Office, necessary accessories such as bag, cordless mouse, etc., plus a 3 year extended warranty)


"Gosh, you found two whole videos of OS X crashing!"

Try again. Load up those links - those are SEARCH RESULTS. There's are tons of videos on YouTube countering Apple's FUD.

"I think you just stated what I just proved. Fancy that!"
I'll take that as a "No, I have no idea what FUD means."

You don't? Obviously, since I just proved your own statements are regurgitated Apple FUD.

"So you already know the specs on the UMPC that Apple is supposedly working on?"

So it's running Windows then? "UMPC" is a Microsoft-Intel developed name.

But clearly you *don't* know what it means. FUD = Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt. Neither Apple nor I are spreading FUD about Apple products.

So, Apple should saddle themselves with some potentially draconian OEM deal with MS instead of me just going to a trade show and buying the OEM version of Vista with a $5 floppy drive? I don't think that makes much sense, and I doubt the increase over what they're already experiencing would justify the cost.

I was referring to the *Mac OS X* security patches, not Microsoft's. As far as malware being a non-issue, what color is the sky in your world?

I get Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme. I don't think many people are going to get anything extra out of knowing the actual model number.

YouTube Search Results:
vista crash = 172
xp crash = 108
windows crash = 1,010

I call BS on your Latitude configuration. The base Latitude D830 is about $1,400. By the time you bring it up to spec with the $1,999 MBP the difference is $141. At that price you don't get a built-in webcam and you have to settle for Vista Business: Ultimate is another $100. If you want to add all those extras you talked about, you'll easily surpass the MBP in price.

UMPC will just have to do for the general form-factor. You mean what I understand. Come to think of it, though, it will most likely have Boot Camp built-in, so, Apple's UMPC *could* run windows.

I too prefer the trackpoint on my Thinkpad. It would be nice if other brands have it too. I tend to mess things up using the touchpad.

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingt...-the-.html
Here is an interesting twist on the 'I am a pc, I am an Apple' commercial. :-D

Funny how the guy saying this is stupid completely misspelled patent AND ITS IN THE ARTICLE! Honestly, how - gah I'm not even going to say it. And for the guy who wanted to run windows natively on a mac without bootcamp....HUH? uhhmm, boot camp makes it so u can run windows natively on a mac. What else do you want. If you say its PoS you are wrong, apple could've just given you software to let you boot both and thats it. But apple likes to make things easy for the user so they include all the drivers for all macs and automatically install it! How could you complain? If you are complaining about bugs ITS A BETA!
Back to the topic, Apple is not wrong for making this patent if you think it is a silly patent, the patent system is messed up. If Apple doesn't make this patent, someone is gonna sue them for it when they release it. If you are complaining about it messing you up while you type, the patent is for a touchpad that DOESN'T do that, not for a larger touchpad as other people have already said. It's not even out yet! For the dummy that asked for a patent on a little screen on the outside that displays important info, ever heard of sideshow? You probably don't see it on lots of things because its PATENTED!! So you cant copy it!

I agree with you cromag and the reason you dont see mobile in the Apple website specs is Apple just switched the to desktop processors.
Waethorn uhhmm boot camp is windows natively on a mac what are you talking about. If you want to see the windows installer, you cant because windows systems use BIOS (been there for waaay over 10 years) Apple decided to use EFI!
OH MY GOD! 2 whole videos of macs crashing! (i didn't click the links but I'm assuming thats what they are) Try a google search for OS X, Apple crash vs Windows, XP, Vista Crash. Windows gets more than 20x more results. Anyways, he was saying that OS X has a better reputation of not crashing.
He was being sarcastic saying that UMPCs have more features. Of course they do! You are comparing apples to oranges! How about the UMPCs battery life? What about their performance? What about their FAILURE?