It does seem as though TVs are not the only ones to get flatter and flatter as time goes by. I clearly remember the early days of LCD TVs, where the sheer thinness of the entire shebang floored me compared to one of those fatty CRTs. Fast forward to today, and the slim TVs of today make the early generation models look positively obese. Well, thin is in as we all know, and it is not limited to just TVs, as keyboards too, might see a slimming change in due time if Apple has their way. A recent patent application from Cupertino which was made public seem to point towards a new mechanism for keyboard keys, where it would translate to losing most of the required mechanical depth in today’s keyboards. As for the tactile feel, fret not – you will not find your fingers dancing all over the keys without getting any of the required feedback.
Right now, majority of the compact keyboards rely on a scissor-switch mechanism, which is more or less a hinged affair that sports a scissor-like attachment between struts that offer resistance, and push the key back upwards. They might not share the size and comfortable level of mechanical keyboards, but they do get the job done if properly constructed. Apple’s idea will shed the symmetrical-spring design that allows the key to travel a mere 0.2mm downwards, and it is up to Apple’s hardware engineers to get an equal feel tactile feedback going.