14 DAY TRIAL // The US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent related to the iPad controls. The new invention describes the Apple tablet as a gaming device with special backside touch controls.
According to patentlyapple who dug up this patent, the invention filed by Apple looks like it is just in time for next month’s unveiling of a new iPad. The Metal technology that will be released along with iOS 8 will supposedly get console-like gaming to Apple's tablets.
The tech giant has already proved how Metal works when it comes to rendering 3D games on iOS and the results shown at WWDC were simply remarkable. All that power can only be harnessed by the A8 chip and it may change the way iOS games look like on a smaller screen.
We have already mentioned BioShock as one of the releases for this fall and the graphics in that game are impressive. They are truly console-like, so new patents related to gaming make sense. Right now, the only two methods of controlling a game on a touch screen are by placing buttons on the actual picture, therefore taking precious space off that screen, or using an external controller.
Apple's new patent opens the way for a third way: backside controls. Imagine you could move forward by sliding a finger up on the left side of the iPad case, or you could fire a gun by taping on the right side. It remains to be seen if Apple will incorporate such an invention in the 2014 iPad. We've already seen the case for such a device and it doesn't look like it is going to bring anything revolutionary.
Apple's patent is illustrated with pictures showing sensors placed around the edge of the iPad. These could be placed in a linear manner, in a grid pattern or any other suitable pattern to achieve the input requirements. The sensors can be capacitive, pressure sensing or ultrasonic.
The same source cites a different patent that describes a configurable input device. Apple may use that patent to release a keyboard-size touchscreen that can be used as a keyboard, piano keys or just a multi-touch trackpad to control the computer.
Imagine you could be seeing the keyboard on a computer screen, just like you do on your iPad or iPhone, but the layout changes from one app to the next. At the same time, the surface used as a keyboard can be changed to accommodate different colors or shapes so it works with whatever you see on the screen.