Google plans to get rid of the spacebar in the near future. The company won a U.S. patent that would allow it to design future keyboards without the central key. The patent shows that instead of a spacebar, the trackpad will be extended, with a partition sensing spacebar-like actions and commands.
Google's patent could have been inspired by Apple's new Macbook, which possesses a new level of portability, thanks to spacing enhancement between the keys. Google took the design concept a step further by placing the trackpad a little bit higher. That move means the trackpad would have to "invade" the spacebar's "territory," executing actions that mimic its slim neighbor.
The summary portion of the patent states:
"A portion of the trackpad may be configured to function as the spacebar. A top portion of the trackpad may extend into a region of the keyboard for the spacebar and may include a switch set that is configured to function as the spacebar.
"A bottom edge of the trackpad may include a first switch that is configured to function as a left mouse button and a second switch that is configured to function as a right mouse button."
In short, Google wants to squeeze the laptop's trackpad into the space occupied by a physical spacebar in order to design smaller Chromebooks.
Spacebars are such a solid part of the laptop experience; it's interesting to imagine how future spacebar-less Chromebooks would look. The document also indicated that the new trackpad would have the capacity to discern between the taps or clicks that would apply to a computer mouse and other taps that should be interpreted as utilizing a spacebar.
Removing the spacebar would definitely be a big change — one that could stir opposition among "laptop conservatives." But then, its removal might only be the first step in keyboard reduction. A smaller Chromebook may see another key or two follow the fate of the spacebar.
Photo: slgckgc I Flickr
