Apple has filed a patent for a future MacBook Pro with integrated displays in the keyboard and trackpad as it looks to make it easier for laptop users to access autocorrect and autocomplete features when typing.
The latest application, spotted by AppleInsider this week, shows a new system that could potentially change the way that people interact and use inputs when working on a laptop.
Rather than replacing a regular keyboard or adding touch-sensitive screens elsewhere, Apple could double the trackpad or space bar as an interactive display.
The patent noted that there have not been many tech advances in recent years that have improved “typing efficiency” on desktop-based devices.
Smartphones have seen improvements in this area as swipe-typing recently came to iOS 13.
The patent said: “Therefore, an improved keyboard design is needed in order to increase efficiency and improve the user experience when typing on desktop and laptop computers.”
The application features an image of a space bar with a display that offers autocorrect and autocomplete suggestions, which would reduce the time it takes for users to create word documents and input search queries, for example.
Central to the patent is the belief that touch-typing is a concept that is no longer suited to the modern, digital world.
The patent says that users struggle to maintain visual focus when they have to look down at the keys they are pressing while looking up to the primary display to see what has been rendered.
This shift in perspective can make typing activity more laborious than it needs to be, which in turn can lead to a loss in productivity.
The patent also talks about a potential Force Touch-like feature that would enable a user to select a word with just a light touch of a key or trackpad.
While it may take some time for this tech to see the light of day, it is interesting to see what Apple could bring to its MacBook line in the coming years.