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Apple Patent #20060026535
comment: 36 | Monday, February 13 (2006) 06:04AM | Posted by Austin Vaughan

I think this settles the matter of whether or not a touch-screen based iPod is in works.

Apple Patent Application
Comments

Lone

Comments: 973
Feb 13 (2006) 07:03AM  

Hmm, it's got a built-in iTunes client it looks like.




ratbird
Location: Bronx, New York
Comments: 35
Feb 13 (2006) 09:42AM  






ilh

Comments: 168
Feb 13 (2006) 09:48AM  

Erm, instead of having a gay touchscreen clickwheel thingy...why not have a scroll bar (like the thing on the right of most of your screens) that you can use far more effectively and efficiently.

"I know let's make the user look like a spaz twirling his finger around the screen instead of just sliding it down quickly to where they want it to be."




vince

Comments: 115
Feb 13 (2006) 09:59AM  

"I know let's make the user look like a spaz twirling his finger around the screen instead of just sliding it down quickly to where they want it to be."

I've been whining about this on a few other forums as well. It makes no sense to have a scroll wheel and select button when the user can just touch the thing he wants to select and use a scroll bar or page down button to get through long lists.




rdow

Comments: 9
Feb 13 (2006) 10:03AM  

Sheesh, talk about having a smudged, fingerprint covered screen




monkeyboy

Comments: 78
Feb 13 (2006) 10:17AM  

ilh and vince, I think they have to keep the wheel approach, simply because they have built so much of the iPod brand on the concept of the wheel. It's the most distinctive feature (design-wise or any other wise) that sets the iPod apart from other DAPs.




undesign

Comments: 805
Feb 13 (2006) 10:26AM  

I know let's make the user look like a spaz twirling his finger around the screen instead of just sliding it down quickly to where they want it to be.


LOL. Not only that, the stupid wheel is going to be the topmost graphic, covering information (the selection you want!) not only that, your finger is going to cover it as well. Great job apple!

I've been whining about this on a few other forums as well. It makes no sense to have a scroll wheel and select button when the user can just touch the thing he wants to select and use a scroll bar or page down button to get through long lists.


Apple likes being restricting, kind of like sony and its historic proprietary ATRAC format. I bet someone at apple is trying to patent scroll bars, a superior method of browsing through media.






zip22

Comments: 1818
Feb 13 (2006) 10:30AM  

a scroll bar would be horrible for long lists on a small-ish screen.




undesign

Comments: 805
Feb 13 (2006) 10:37AM  

Scroll Bar > Scroll Wheel




zip22

Comments: 1818
Feb 13 (2006) 10:42AM  

so if you have a list of 400 things, and you can only see 6 at a time, you think a 2" scroll bar would be able to get to where you wanted accurately? to use that effectively, you would need to move your finger 0.03" to get from one group of 6 to the next (thats scrolling one 'page'). thats less than 1/32"




pata2001

Comments: 141
Feb 13 (2006) 10:50AM  

I agree with rdow. People are suing over the scratched nano, now this? Apple will have to put a smudge and scratch resistant but touch sensitive cover over the screen. Also the fact that user will be blocking the view (especially with the small screen version) with their hands.

The click wheel is good for an external interface, but not a bright idea for a touch screen interface. It's much better (even cheaper for Apple) to just include a stylus for these.

I don't get it with all these crazy touch sensitive everything. It's not really practical for on the go use. What happened to tactile buttons and remotes?




undesign

Comments: 805
Feb 13 (2006) 10:52AM  

zip: its a 3.5" screen apparantly for your unattained holy ipod. it will display much more than just 6 items at a time. further more, covering the screen with the circle graphic AND with your finger is not practical.






Flid

Comments: 262
Feb 13 (2006) 11:06AM  

Eh? Have you guys ever used a touch screen laptop or PDA? Those screens are pretty durable and scratch resistant. I'm fairly sure they wouldn't be using their super-scratchable (tm) plastic on a touch screen display. Stylus?!?! You kiddin me, right?

The most annoying thing about this... that I shoulda patented this exact idea about 3 years ago, when I dreamed up the idea of mixing the scroll wheel interface with a home stereo / media PC touch screen interface. B*ll*x!!! I'd have been absolutely minted.

Looking at the size of the device on the right, it also looks like Apple will be venturing into mini-tablet devices like that Nokia 770. Considering this with the Portalplayer bluetooth announcement... I see more home media integration coming along.




Flid

Comments: 262
Feb 13 (2006) 11:09AM  

Just read the comments box. I didn't steal your "tablet" idea Philip. Honest.




zip22

Comments: 1818
Feb 13 (2006) 11:10AM  

undesign, 3.5" is only on the mock-ups and rumors. the patent still only shows a smaller screen with only 6 menu options.
[ edited Feb 13 (2006) 07:41PM ]




sumguy_

Comments: 293
Feb 13 (2006) 11:14AM  

Just a small q.: have any of you actually used/seen Apples final implementation?

I think some of you are too quick to criticize based on personal bias.




Dominic
Location: Ireland.
Comments: 2408
Feb 13 (2006) 12:03PM  

yeah sumthin i submitted got posted, aren't i the happy boy...go go personal bias




Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2802
Feb 13 (2006) 03:14PM  

Personal biases aside (:P) I think it's an idea that looks cool, but isn't all that practical. Person biases being initiated again, I'd say that's the direction Apple has always leaned towards. Aesthetics over Function.




khbaur330162

Comments: 52
Feb 13 (2006) 03:44PM  

I'm counting over 20 menu options on the larger screen...

Is it me or is it the most retarded thing to put the scroll wheel smack dab in the center of the screen? Why not place it bottom right/left where your hand and the wheel have the least amount of potential to be in the way of something?

Oh yea, and look at the diagrams

clockwise = up
counter = down

Isn't that reversed? Also, could you patent it in the opposite direction and then Apple has nothing on you?

[ edited Feb 13 (2006) 03:46PM ]




superpianist
Location: Montreal
Comments: 17
Feb 13 (2006) 03:46PM  

Undesign, it's not covering up the screen, at least from my impression. The whole thing is a touch screen and when you tap/touch/whatever it, a picture of a scroll wheel will appear on the device. You spin your finger around it like normal, then it vanishes again. That takes the tactile "click" part of the click wheel out of the equation, but that was what I saw.

Also, and this is directed right at Undesign, I own a competing DAP because it offers features the iPod doesn't, or at least didn't at the time. I believe that I own the better product for me. That doesn't mean I have to have a damn vendetta against anything associated with Apple. They make a fine product, it's just not for me. Grow up, and learn how to spell and use proper grammar while you're at it.




khbaur330162

Comments: 52
Feb 13 (2006) 03:49PM  

"Grow up, and learn how to spell and use proper grammar while you're at it."

Correction:

"Grow up, learn how to spell, and use proper grammar while you're at it."

Not doin' too hot yourself buddy... Apart from that, I totally agree. I have to give them props for the Nano. Not a bad product in the least. Too small for my liking, (I can't seem to make that small of circles) but 4 gigs in that small a package is pretty amazing.





Warhol

Comments: 29
Feb 13 (2006) 06:41PM  

undesign, why are you complaining about a company/product that youve never supported??

i mean, so apple did something else you didnt like, what else is new?

and i think the debate between scroll wheels and scroll bars is merely opinion.
[ edited Feb 13 (2006) 06:45PM ]




derekdru

Comments: 33
Feb 13 (2006) 06:57PM  

i think undesign is a fired apple employee, a true hater.

the pics in this thread are interesting.

link


[ edited Feb 13 (2006) 06:58PM ]




bloodycape

Comments: 730
Feb 13 (2006) 07:32PM  

Now what wold be the difference between this and the Newton pda and tablets of years back?




zip22

Comments: 1818
Feb 13 (2006) 07:35PM  

khbaur, i was refering to the dap interface, not the tablet pc thing.




Echo_

Comments: 60
Feb 13 (2006) 07:43PM  

zip22 is right about having a side scroll would be stupid

even if you had a stylus it would suck if you had a huge list




Warhol

Comments: 29
Feb 13 (2006) 07:53PM  

as stated in headfi, it would be amazing if apple (or any other company for that matter) implemented something like this into a DAP.

http://mrl.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/

of course, this probably wont happen anytime soon if ever.
[ edited Feb 13 (2006) 07:53PM ]




Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2802
Feb 13 (2006) 08:15PM  

^similiar to what was in Minority report. That would be cool, but not on a small screen.




chicubs

Comments: 915
Feb 14 (2006) 05:50AM  

I actually like it.




Austin Vaughan
Location: Lenexa, KS
Comments: 770
Feb 14 (2006) 07:55AM  

don't forget this player:

[Linky]

has apple beat by a year.




Peacemaker636

Comments: 104
Feb 14 (2006) 01:43PM  

They should really put it in the bottom or at least off to the left. The middle of the screen is where all the action usually is in movies, and anything transparent will smudge to some extent. To me, having the controller on the screen is just plain stupid. It's pretty neat, but then you realize that it just isn't practical.




koala72
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Comments: 20
Feb 17 (2006) 03:42PM  

apple couldnt sacrifise the click wheel so they had to make a touch screen. there good at taking risks.




ralphb

Comments: 154
Feb 19 (2006) 01:51PM  

I don't like to say so, but I told you so.







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