Forget the touchpad or the Magic Mouse, Apple has a new mouse idea

Afterthe Mac that charges iPhones wirelesslyetthe one who does the same with the Magic Keyboard, Apple is imagining a laptop where one of the keys could detach from the keyboard. This would then act as a mouse, or more precisely as a pointer like the remote controls of certain video projectors. However, for the moment, only a patent mentions this idea. However, this is not always synonymous with a new product coming to the Apple Store.

For Apple, this new technology could be particularly appreciated by graphic designers or users of computer-aided design (CAD) software. But what we will especially remember here is the particularly compact format of this potential controller. Unlike, for example, a Magic Mouse, which is not only rather bulky but also not very ergonomic.

How does it work?

Like Kinect, the Siri Remote on Apple TV or even the Wii, this new control interface for Mac would communicate wirelessly with the computer's operating system. It could also be a good solution for accessibility for certain users, for whom tools such as the wireless mouse or the Magic Trackpad are, for example, too difficult to use.

Apple never communicated about such a product during its keynotes, however. So we're probably not close to a potential release date. Moreover, we sometimes have to wait many years before a technology that appears in a patent sees the light of day. The proof with the Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset, the first diagrams of which could be spotted with the USPTO (equivalent to the INPI in the United States) in 2016.

A fully functional key

When correctly placed on the MacBook keyboard, this key, which can therefore be separated from it, would behave like the others. We can therefore assume that Apple will choose to associate a letter with it, so as not to waste space on the case.

New MacBooks could see the light of day next year, with an M3 chip under the hood. But, as we will have understood, it is probably not models that are so close that can be equipped with this, to say the least, original touch.