Apple's tablet to have 3D navigation system?
We reported back in December that Apple had submitted some patents for 3D Operating System navigation. It turns out that they've also been looking at 3D multi-touch as a way of navigating a multi-touch tablet/iPhone. The Baltimore Sun (via PED) dug up a patent from last month (#20090303231, Dec. 10, 2009 to be exact) on just such an idea.
[0034]The device supports a variety of applications, such as one or more of the following: a game application, a telephone application, a video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, a blogging application, a photo management application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a web browsing application, a digital music player application, and/or a digital video player application.
If this patent comes to fruition, the next iPhone/iPod/tablet interface might be nothing like anything we've seen before, and it could perhaps explain why we've been hearing the possibility of a "new type of interaction" to accompany the tablet.
The Sun also reports:
According to documents filed with the USPTO, Apple obtained the rights to this patent application from three French citizens: Fabrice Robinet, Thomas Goossens, and Alexandre Moha. The inventors assigned the patent to Apple on Sept. 29, 2008. It's not clear if those citizens are Apple employees, per se. (Update: Actually, Mr. Moha is a product and engineering manager at Apple, per his LinkedIn profile; and Mr. Robinet is a software engineer at Apple, again, per LinkedIn.) Regardless, searches under Apple's name in the patents database doesn't retrieve this patent, because the names of the original French inventors are still on it. (I wonder why that is? Hmmm. :-)
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Comments (22)
no webcam? goshh!
What do you think an optical sensor is?
The same on the iPhone, a light sensor....
I think an optical sensor might be a webcam.
A table with a webcam can be a powerful gadget for videoconference.
Let's hope for it.
Reviewing what might possible be a reality for Apple's tablet is rather like debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. If the quad-core notebooks rumored for release in 2010 are not good enough for mobile computing my heretical mind doubts that the tablet will be as revolutionary or functional as it is hyped to be.
[0034]The device supports a variety of applications, such as one or more of the following: a game application, a telephone application, a video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, a blogging application, a photo management application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a web browsing application, a digital music player application, and/or a digital video player application.
Hmmm interesting... 95% chance this is the new GUI
Uh, yeah, but so does the iPhone, and that doesn't have a 3-d interface. Oh yeah, and so does a macbook and imac, and every other PC. I don't follow your argument that because the device supports those applications it must therefore require a 3-D interface...
This isn't to say i hope it doesn't. Cause I am really excited for the prospect of what a 3-D interface would entail.
You're right I wasn't very clear. If you read some of the patent it's a giveaway this is for a tablet. Especially since they reference other apple patents used in the iPhone and other things, I would assume this is would be meant then for another apple product. One example being "In some embodiments, the external port is a multi-pin (e.g., 30-pin) connector that is the same as, or similar to and/or compatible with the 30-pin connector used on iPod (trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.) devices" Now whether or not this means that we are going to see this on the tablet isn't obvious but this is a decent idication. I just got caught up in some of the excitement of reading parts of this patent app. There is also some talk in there of Wi-Max and unlocking the tablet via voice. Interesting read I'd say.
What was the demo of a 3D desktop-like interface called? Bumptop? Something like that... if I remember, some of the commands (like lasso'ing multiple files to stack them) would be easily done on something like a tablet. If you have free time, try and find the video demo of that product/program.. it's a couple years old.
Bumptop is nothing to do with Apple and it's more of a gimmick in that it only really address's file handling.
Apple's had a few patents relating to 3d desktops. The one that springs to mind is an extension to the traditional macos desktop giving it sides and a base that stretch back into the screen. The result of this is you can throw windows against these walls and they stick there at an angle. The only advantage i could see is that you can still sorta see them. Spaces and expose really make all this 3d rubbish a waste of effort.
...and the 'tablet' is simply a frame with a large hole in it used to view reality?
;)
Sort of like what Johnny Chung Lee is up to?
Honestly, this patent just seems to involve using your fingers and gestures to do what is already done with a mouse on a desktop or laptop. I use 3D CAD programs every day that are pretty realistic. Changing the user's persective like he is moving around the object is no different than rotating the object with the mouse - same result. View 3D items on the iPhone? Sure. Is it powerful enough to be useful for technical purposes? No. The tablet? Who knows what kind of computing power it will have.
A 3D interface for blogging, email, and 2D pictures? Certainly not necessary, but there are "3D Desktops" in existence. Maybe a 3D desktop is what they are talking about, like Looking Glass. There is another one where files look like poker chips on a table, don't recall the name, but graphics weren't too impressive. Interesting that they show a kind of 3D "coverflow" in the demo below.
http://www.sun.com/software/looking_glass/
Who knows, but this is consistent with both the "surprising interface" and the patent. The Looking Glass demo is pretty cool, and Apple can probably do them one better. Making that the interface would definitely be a first.
I'm curious to know why a tablet would need a proximity sensor? Trying to place a 7-10 inch device against your ear isn't that practical :S If this is for the tablet device that is?
There is an easy explanation. This is just an iPhone!
Maybe the 3D interface will find it's way onto both the iPhone and tablet.
One word to describe Apple: Innovative. Another: Imaginative. New and interesting things (or better thought out older things) that are meant to make our lives easier...simpler.
With the iPod we had tons of music in our pocket, which then turned into music and pictures, and then included videos.
With the iPhone we got the world of the iPod and a smartphone. It has changed lives with the easy access to real webpages (minus the Adobe Flash pages), tons of Apps for our entertainment or useful tools for the work at hand, and a beautiful sleek design sure to make any phone user envious.
All-in-one computers (I'm even counting the Mac Classics and Lisas). Powerful laptops. Heck the GUI even.
I'm VERY excited to see this next step in Apple's innovation. 3D has so much potential.
What I find interesting about the tablet and a unique interface etc... is that Bill Gates has been talking about Voice input etc for years but never guided Microsoft in that direction or at least no one followed it after his departure. I wouldn't be suprised if this is a big component of the tablet and Apple will do it well, and Microsoft will once again be left scrambling to catch up rather than building on the concept.
I think we may be missing the point with this.
On an iPhone, the more apps you have the more you scroll sideways in a 2d environment.
Even CoverFlow appears to be 3D but the interaction is 2D scrolling.
A 3d iPhone would use the same multi-touch gestures but imagine 'scrolling down' and the field of view comes toward you while 'scrolling up' sends it away from you.
Call it the Time Machine effect.
While this is nice and would look better, it wouldn't add new functionality other than being a cooler way to open apps and providing a fresh look to the iPhone operating system which may be enough.
There is something about 3d though that would add distinct functionality: viewing and managing simultaneous running apps.
Think about how iChat can support 3 attendees to a video conference and imagine those windows in a 3D environment on an iPhone/iSlate with one being an email where you are looking for the dial-in number for the conference call you are late to, another window being the phone app where you dial the call-in info from the email you can see and the third window being the document you are on the call to talk about.
Now that is new functionality over the standard 2D environment.
Granted you can manage the above scenario today on the iPhone but it is harder to do.
One last scenario that is more consumer based: as more and more content fills-up a new iSlate or even our iTunes library, a 3D environment brings not only more space to display different content for browsing but could also constantly re-organize that content around most viewed, topic, etc.
If you take the genius functionality as your personal organizer it can constantly arrange and re-arrange all of your content based on your inputs.
So now you have the system constantly arranging all your content and new content from the iTunes store together based on your selection in a 3D view.
So I want to listen to Led Zepplin and in one window all the music both locally and unpurchased comes up, then another window shows videos with and about Led Zepplin and another window in the new 3D world shows all the books about Led Zepplin.
Now I am cranking to Led Zepplin music while browsing books and videos to possibly buy all within a 3D environment that doesn't require to me change screens.
One 3D screen to rule them all.
Can I claim "prior art" and point to MS Bob?
Satellite Navigation Systems have revolutionized how we travel. Once upon a time it was necessary to use a folded up map to know where to go but these days all you have to do is plug in your sat nav and tell it where you want to go.
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