14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft keeps working on making the Surface Pro an innovative product by all means, and the range of accessories that the device comes with is part of this push.
As discovered in a recent patent, Microsoft wants to make the Surface Type Cover thinner for the next iteration, and one idea is to change the way the trackpad works.
The company wants to improve the feedback when typing by integrating the trackpad right into the circuit board, thus saving space inside, but at the same time without making any compromises in terms of the experience offered to users.
Improved feedback for customers
The abstract section of the patent explains how the whole system would work, indicating that Microsoft is currently pondering several ideas in this regard:
“Techniques for a circuit board for an input device are described. In at least some embodiments, an input device is integrated with a circuit board of a device.
For example, a touch interaction area of the input device is formed by cutting and / or etching a portion of the circuit board such that the touch interaction area is movable with respect to adjacent portions of the circuit board. In one or more embodiments, an input device includes a switch such that movement of the touch interaction region actuates the switch to generate a click-enter event.”
Since this is still in the patent stage, there is no guarantee the idea would be pushed to mass production, but at least it’s living proof that Microsoft is actually looking beyond the Surface device itself in order to improve the experience customers get when buying the product.
The next-generation Surface Pro upgrade is expected to see daylight next year, and further details as to what it could be improved is expected to make the rounds in the coming months as we approach the release date.
Via WIndowsUnited