Apple has been granted a patent (number 20180059925) for an “enhanced 3D interface for remote devices.” Despite the moniker, it’s another patent hinting at upcoming gesture-based interfaces for the Mac. The tech giant has been granted, or applied for, numerous such patents.
Here’s Apple’s summary of the invention: “Operating a computerized system includes presenting user interface elements on a display screen. A first gesture made in a three-dimensional space by a by a distal portion of an upper extremity of a user is detected while a segment of the distal portion thereof rests on a surface. In response to the first gesture, an area of the display screen selected by the user is identified, and a corresponding user interface element is displayed. After displaying the corresponding user interface element, a second gesture made by the distal portion is detected while the segment continues to rest on the surface so as to select one of the user interface elements that appears in the selected area.”
Of course, Apple files for — and is granted — lots of patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Many are for inventions that never see the light of day. However, you never can tell which ones will materialize in a real product.
