Apple patent for touchscreen iMac

Apple iMac Touch computer, patent application

Apple iMac Touch computer, patent application

The world of patent watching can be an interesting little pursuit, and today the Patently Apple site published an extremely interesting find, in the article The Mother Lode: Welcome to the iMac Touch.

What it outlines, is a feature to have an iMac screen function as normal with a mouse and keyboard, or, with the use of pivoting stand, adjust the screen so as to place the screen flat and low, with its touchscreen capability turning it into a big iPad-like device.



It’s also proposed that running in regular screen placement, using the mouse and keyboard, you’d be running the Mac OSX operating system, but if you place the screen into the touchscreen position the computer could automatically switch to running iOS. The switchover is something that could be set by the user, by going into the settings and selecting an angle at which the operating system switches from running Mac OSX to running iOS, using the computer’s in-built accelerometer.

It’s also mentioned that the computer could pair with an iPhone, and have you answering or making calls via the touchscreen interface.

Apparently the patent was ‘quietly’ published in Europe, back in January, and confirmation of its contents have only just been passed Patently Apple’s way.

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