Apple patents laptop with a new keyboard

The newest and thinnest laptop from Apple - MacBook, has a mechanism in which the keys have almost no depth, which means that the device can be thinner than ever.

But Apple might be considering killing off the laptop keyboard entirely, and moving to a completely flat touch surface, according to a patent it filed last fall that was published on Thursday.

Photos of the patent show a laptop MacBook. Innovation describes "configured touch-sensitive structure for electronic device" that interacts with the electronic device.

Essentially, Apple experimented with "zero-travel" technology input like touch screen (when you press on it, there is no physical mechanism that moves).

But the invention published on Thursday is more like the "Force Touch" trackpads that Apple has included on recent MacBooks that rely on haptic technology. Instead of clicking, a layer senses the force that the user's fingers impart to the surface and when pressed down, instead of the trackpad actually moving, a small motor provides a sensation as if you're actually clicking.

So instead of keys, a future MacBook could have a flat surface that you can type on.

This patent takes that idea to the next level, and seems to indicate that this kind of haptic technology can be configured for a laptop keyboard, a number pad, or a track pad, all with the same general input structure. Furthermore, the positioning of these haptic keypads can be configurable — so your laptop might have a number pad for Excel sessions, and switch to a game pad for playing games.

Apple even says that "micro-perforations" in the casing may be able to light up to give the user the guidelines of a keyboard, for instance, without the battery drain of a full touchscreen.

Of course, there are many patents of Apple, and there is no guarantee that a patent will eventually become a product or service.

But investments made by Apple in the "zero travel" innovation makes it more likely to believe that Apple is seriously considering the possibility of using the technology for keyboards and other input devices.

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