An Apple patent has revealed that future iPhones could effectively get multiple action buttons, as all three buttons on the left side of the phone would be customizable by the user.
The same patent also suggests that similar capabilities could come to other Apple devices, including the iPad and Mac …
A patent spotted by Patently Apple is incredibly dense, with the most useless opening you can imagine!
The electronic device detects a first input in a first input area separately from the display of the electronic device, including detecting a first portion of the first input followed by a second portion of the first input. In response to detecting the first input in the first input area: in accordance with a determination that the first portion of the first input satisfies a first set of one or more criteria, the electronic device displays a first preview that corresponds to a first operation of the first application. In accordance with a determination that the second portion of the first input satisfies a second set of criteria, the electronic device performs the first operation of the first application. In accordance with a determination that the second portion of the first input satisfies a second set of criteria, the electronic device performs a second operation of the second application.
The language does not improve much from there; It is the illustrations that give the clearest idea of what the company has in mind.
This illustration shows an image of a real phone with the Action button and two volume buttons highlighted on the left, as well as a 3D image of the phone on the screen.
The interface allows users to select each of the buttons and assign them a function, just as we do with the Action button today.
In this example, the volume down button is configured to call a favorite contact:
The document describes using haptic motors to provide haptic feedback when using the buttons.
The drawings primarily show an iPhone, but Apple notes that the patent also applies to the iPad and Mac.
In some embodiments, the device is a portable communications device, such as a mobile phone, that also includes other functions, such as PDA and/or music player functions. Examples of portable multi-function devices include, but are not limited to, the iPhone […] and iPad devices from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Other portable electronic devices, such as laptops or tablets with touch surfaces (such as touchscreens and/or touchpads), may be used if desired.
Touch-only Mac fans may get excited about this reference, but we'd point out that the full phrase is “laptops or tablets with touch surfaces,” and that Apple includes trackpads and physical capacitive buttons in the touch surface category.
As always, we caution that Apple patents all sorts of things it will never implement, but given the history of first the action button and then the camera button, it seems more likely that we can expect this trend to continue.
Photos and images: Apple
