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Continuation patent points to Apple’s renewed interest in virtual keyboard technology for upcoming products

It looks like Apple is continuing its development work regarding a virtual keyboard technology.

The company, which has filed for patents for virtual keyboards on MacBook notebooks as far back as 2009, has recently had a continuation patent application published today shows that the company is still exploring the idea.

The virtual keyboard made headlines when it launched on the iPhone in 2007 and became a notable feature in the late-2016 MacBook Pro via the Touch Bar.


The Patently Apple article noted the following regarding the patent, which might be pointing to more of an iPad-style unit:

The secret to this invention is that it also oddly covers tablets […] Technically it could be some kind of hybrid device […] This past February, an Apple patent application covered an iPad Pro smart cover that supported a new virtual keyboard. So it’s evident that Apple is coming at this project from many angles.

As always, stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via 9to5Mac and Patently Apple