Apple has submitted an application to the United States patent office for non-visual feedback in hand-held multi-touch display screens, for electronic devices including laptop computers, mobile phone devices and media players.
Currently Apple multi-touch devices only offer visual cues making it difficult to find buttons or navigating information without looking.
The new application suggests they may be planning to develop a device that will provide tactile feedback.
The application shows a wide-range of potential uses.
The submission said one example of a possible application could be a “virtual button at the center of the virtual click wheel [that] can vibrate at a different frequency than the virtual wheel surrounding it”.
James was the editor and publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany for five years. He is now the Australian Financial Review‘s companies & markets editor, and a former BRW editor.
