Patents suggest stylus; Mode-based interface customization
The Web is hot with some recent Apple patent filings coming to light. The first suggests that Apple may be checking out the possibility of a stylus for its touch screen devices. The second details a user interface that changes based on a customized mode.
According to Neil Hughes over at AppleInsider, Apple could be looking into adding a stylus to its touch screen devices. As Hughes notes, and many of our longtime readers will know, Apple King of Kings Steve Jobs is an outspoken opponent of the stylus concept. I find it difficult to believe that the tablet would include a stylus, though much like the (now) optional Apple Remote, it may be a formidable accessory. Consider being in environments where gloves are necessary--the stylus would make a handy input alternative, no? Either way, I do not see a stylus shipping with the tablet.
Apple has also filed a patent application for device interfaces that change based on the location and use of the device. In this scenario, a device would be focused on certain features and functions in particular situations, given sensory and user data. For example, if you're working out, the primary controls for the iPod application on your iPhone would get much bigger, making it easier to play/pause/switch tracks. Users would have the ability to create custom presets to automatically trigger different interfaces. It is not known if current devices in Apple's lineup could support such software.
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