Future Apple devices may use acoustic commands

According to an Apple patent that recently surfaced, Apple might be replacing all keyboards and trackpads in their future notebooks. The patent details a new technology that uses acoustic commands such as fingerprint noises and tapping combinations, scratches and/or swirling motions to control a device. According to the patent, these commands will be functional all over the notebook and won’t be limited to the blank panel where the keyboard used to be. Example commands might be tapping the webcam to turn it on or off and to launch a video chat program, or dragging a finger upwards on the back of the laptop housing to increase its volume. The possibilities are basically endless and it would bring a whole new level of interfacing with a computer. As for typing text? It wasn’t listed, but it’s going to be interesting to see how it is implemented. Hit the break to watch a very interesting video showing how such acoustic technology could work: