Apple's latest touch patent puts sensors everywhere on iPads, iPhones…

Apple creates amazing devices, sometimes you can’t help yourself and feel compelled to simply touch them, to feel their delicate electromagnetic chemistry shimmer under the contact with your skin. Almost like they’re alive.

No, this isn’t now, silly, but it sure will be a hallmark of Apple’s products of the future, at least according to the latest patent (published yesterday) from the Cupertino-based company. This details devices festooned with sundry sensors, including reactive and touch sensors, acoustic sensors and more….

The patent abstract explains, “Hand held devices with multiple touch sensing devices are disclosed. The touch sensing devices may for example be selected from touch panels, touch screens or touch sensitive housings.”

The array of different sensors will allow Apple to get rid of even more buttons and to deliver context-specific controls. For example, if you hold your iPad with one hand then you could see all controls for the device suddently situate themselves in easy reach of that one hand.

“The sensors could even be used to identify different users, depending on their hand image, common movements and whether they’re left or right handed.  They could even remove the need for an orientation lock-switch, linking screen rotation to the way that the tablet or handset is being held,” reports Slashgear.