Apple could be looking at taking the Samsung route to entice business users. Wondering what? The company has patented a smart pen which will be similar to Samsung's S-Pen stylus yet different.
On Tuesday, Dec. 30, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted a stylus design patent for Apple. The patent No. 8,922,530 is for a "communicating stylus."
The smart pen from Apple will apparently be able to detect the hand movements of the user and in turn translate the drawings, notes etc. onto the display of the digital medium. The Apple smart pen will deploy wireless communication hardware, accelerometers, as well as on-board storage to bring about this functionality.
Theoretically speaking, the smart pen would let users write on a notepad and review their work on an iPhone's screen for example. The smart pen would also supposedly operate with different tips, which means that users can write using a pen, marker or pencil.
"A stylus for writing on any type of surface, such as a piece of paper or a whiteboard and subsequently displaying the written images or text on a display of a digital computing device. The stylus may likewise be moved in three-dimensional space and corresponding images displayed on a display of a computing device. The stylus tracks its different positions while a user is writing or drawing and then either stores the data to be uploaded later or transmits the data simultaneously to a computing device. The computing device then displays the images and text drawn on the surface. The computing device may be located anywhere, as long as it is able to communicate with the stylus, and be able to display the written text or images," notes the patent description.
The smart pen from Apple will also be able to enter data to the computing device even if it is located across the room. This functionality will enable a user to deploy the stylus to write a message or make a drawing even when their iPad is locked away inside their cupboard.
The stylus will be useful for business users as they can jot down notes at a meeting or draw pie charts and parallel make a digital version of their pie charts and notes. Moreover, the smart pen will also enable users to write on a white board and at the same time the matter will be displayed on a laptop screen!
What will set the Apple smart pen apart from existing styluses is that, thanks to the built-in 3D motion sensors, the device will be able to operate on any surface - even air!
While the patent has been approved recently, Apple filed for the same in 2010. Whether the smart pen makes an appearance in 2015 alongside the rumored iPad Air 2 remains to be seen.
