Future MacBooks may tuck a removable mouse into the keyboard

A newly discovered Apple patent indicates that the company could consider introducing a removable key into the keypad of future macbooks that can be used as a mouse.

Originally picked up by Patièlle Apple, the patent proposal entitled “Deployable Keys Mouse” Details A usable mouse incorporated in the MacBook keypad.

“The removable key can have a position sensor, in the first configuration, the structure of the removable key can be used to provide a key-based key input and, in the second configuration, the removable key structure is operable in As long as computer score device using the position sensor. The removable key structure can therefore allow a comfortable, portable and precise pointer input for an IT input system. “

All patents do not market, of course, and can often be used to simply lock a competitor from new technologies, even if a company itself has no intention of putting this technology on the market.

This is too early to say if this is the case with the “deployable key mouse”, however, so we will have to just see if the MacBooks two or three years have now deployed this new feature.

Opinion: Finally, an Apple innovation I can have behind

All that being said, I really hope that this patent is implemented. I work with lots of laptops, and trackpads are perfectly fine, all things considered. They get the job and you do not have to conclude from the connection of an additional device.

Nevertheless, whenever I cover a convention or that I had to do normal work outside my apartment or office, I always bring a portable mouse with me. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to edit photos with a trackpad. This is the absolute worst.

Having a portable mouse built directly in the keyboard would definitely be an interesting feature of having on my laptop work and it is definitely one that would push me to a new macbook in the future, even if I am almost exclusively only a user Windows PC / Linux.

The best of both world would be for other laptop manufacturers to implement a similar system in their devices, but not introducing it is at least an Apple innovation that would finally make me consider buying another MacBook.