Apple Working on New Keyboard With Dynamic Key Functions; Patent Suggests Keys Could Display Animation, Video

Apple may very well be engaged on a dynamic backlit keyboard expertise that permits keys to carry out a number of capabilities as a substitute of being certain to 1. A brand new patent filed by the Cupertino, California-based tech large hints at a future MacBook which may function a keyboard with altering key capabilities that illuminate based mostly on the context. The underlying LEDs may reportedly even present animation and video on high of the keys. Present backlight expertise in keyboards solely serves to mild up the supposed key perform.

In response to a report in Patently Apple, the US Patent & Trademark Workplace revealed an Apple patent on Thursday that significantly offers with keyboard mechanism. The patent mentions that the keys could be partially made from aluminium and would function dynamic lettering, or “glyphs”, that can mild up in response to the corresponding perform.

“Extra significantly, the current embodiments relate to keycaps having illuminable glyphs which are selectively seen or invisible to an unaided human eye,” the report stated. The patent mentions that the longer term Apple keyboard may have perforations on keycaps by means of which an array of LED lights may illuminate altering symbols, numbers, and letters by selectively lighting up particular perforations.

Such a dynamic keyboard may additionally enable customers to vary keyboard layouts fully and even swap to a distinct language. Moreover, the report stated that the important thing LEDs may very well be managed to point out animations, data, and even video on one particular key or a gaggle of keys.

Apple famous of their patent software that their keyboard would characterize a number of benefits over present backlit keyboards. Present keys are largely made from plastic and often have letters or symbols painted or coated on them. Repeated use of the keyboard results in the coat fading away over time. An aluminium key would characterize a lot greater high quality, whereas altering LED glyphs would get rid of the issue of key symbols getting rubbed off.

Apple had been utilizing its much-maligned Butterfly Keyboard on MacBooks from 2015 to 2019. Earlier this yr, the corporate paid $50 million (roughly Rs 414 crore) to settle a class-action lawsuit over its faulty MacBook keyboards. The corporate now presents the Magic Keyboard on its MacBooks.