Apple touchscreen patent to raise bar

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office today published a revolutionary Apple patent application titled ‘mechanical overlay,’ which depicts a new touchscreen technology that can serve as a keyboard, audio mixer, iPod clickwheel, and much more. The patent reveals potential plans for Apple to revolutionize its computing and iPod usage experience, replacing traditional keyboards and clickwheels with touchscreens displaying programmable images while accepting touch-sensitive input. The patent describes, among other details, a ‘multipoint touch method’ that receives multiple touches on the surface of the touchscreen, coupled with tactile as well as audio feedback of touches. See MacNN for rest of story.