New Apple Keyboard Could Beard Aluminum
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Apple is working on how to make a perforated aluminum keyboard chassis with keys that include an array of LEDs that can change what is displayed on each vein.
Apple Files All types of patents to cover their intellectual property and research from potential imitators and MDash; Even if technology is never used. Some patents, as a rule, are incredibly vague or difficult to determine until the product is introduced in reality.
, which mainly describes the last such presentation, the recently issued patent, which describes the MacBook futuristic keyboard, which can change what is displayed on the keys. However, unlike previous concepts of keys with a touch screen, this will use physical keys and LEDs to perform a trick.
The keyboard will still look like a standard hardware keyboard at first glance. Key shells would be aluminum instead of plastic, and when the MacBook is turned off, there would be no visible markings on the keys.
Pressing the key will still lead to the mechanism of switching scissors, so printing would look like existing plastic keyboards used today on MacBooks. Nevertheless, the keyboard will be made of the same material as the rest of the laptop, which allows a more homogeneous design, color road and stiffness. Please note that Apple used aluminum keys on the Powerbook G4, but they had ordinary key markings.
When MacBook is turned on, the keys will lighten. The standard QWERTY keyboard will be displayed, and unlike today's plastic keys, the light will be visible only from the glyph on the key cover. The aluminum body of the key will not have mild bleeding on the edges of the keys.
LED backlight will control what was displayed on every vein
, if the user must switch to French Azeri, the keyboard may change to show them just that. Or, if they just need a quick way to enter symbols, emoticons or punctuation, the keyboard can again change what is displayed on the key lid.
Think about this as a physical keyboard, as the iPhone and MDash program keyboard; The change is so shown, given the context.
This will be achieved using Mini-LED or similar illumination under an aluminum plate. Each key will have accurate perforations, so each LED will shine directly through the upper part of the key.
Each key actually acts as a low resolution display, showing any letter or glyph.
This technology differs from the use of miniature displays for each key, like a stream deck. Also, the technology, as proposed, is not able to produce images with high resolution, such as OLED display or similar.
This patent is more closely related to an 8-bit display than a fully functional display.