APPLE FILES A PATENT FOR A NEW STYLUS THAT WORKS WITHOUT A SCREEN

A new Apple patent details a stylus that can be used without a screen. The patent specifically mentions "force sensors" which leads us to believe that this design could be used with future versions of the Mac that have Force Touch trackpads.

At first glance, the project seems transparent enough, with appropriate figures and explanations for each illustration, however, phrases like "other examples can be used and structural changes can be made" are scattered throughout the patent. Here is another head-scratcher: "The position and/or motion of the input device can be tracked according to various methods including one or more of a motion and orientation sensor, a camera, or an electromagnetic- or sound-based triangulation scheme." there you have it: various methods.

What is interesting is that the patent states that this design could go beyond even Apple devices, and could be used with 3D objects in the real world, by using the motion and accelerometer data within the stylus itself to track the information.

This is the first time we have seen a concept for a stylus that can potentially draw digitally without a surface. However, it is important to note that this is just a patent description and there is no indication of Apple ever releasing a product like this. You can read the full patent here.