14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is bent on solving an age-old problem involving styli, and it has the patent application to prove it. Published today by the USPTO, the “Communicating stylus” is arguably the best implementation of the concept to date.
It’s only on paper for now, but the technology to manufacture the device is already available.
Accelerometer-enabled
The Cupertino giant has looked at existing solutions and concluded that “the problem with these different types of styli is that they all require that the user write on a specialized surface,” adding that “there is a need for a stylus that can enter data into a computing device, regardless of the surface with which it is used.”
The company, therefore, wants to create a stylus that packs accelerometers that work as position sensors, a tip for writing, and a transmitter + receiver so that the user is no longer bound to accessories and add-ons.
A “remote” stylus
Essentially, the stylus would sense the movement of the hand, understand whatever the user is writing or drawing by interpreting the rapid changes in position, and beam the results to a computer or a smartphone, saving the note / drawing for future reference.
Admittedly, this concept is not entirely new and such styli are already selling. However, Apple’s is a perfected version of what’s out there, and considering how much Apple adores Bluetooth 4.0, this one would actually be the first device of its kind that boasts a long battery life.