We’re sure that many of you guys are probably aware of Apple’s stance regarding the stylus, which for those unfamiliar is a no-no. This is why we have to admit that we were pretty surprised when a patent was discovered that was filed by Apple that seemed to suggest that at some point, the Cupertino company was considering introducing an optical stylus that could be used on a device, namely the iPhone. Granted patents are merely ideas and it’s hard to say if and when such a product from Apple would ever surface, but it’s interesting to learn that they did consider it at some point.
Back to the patent, it describes a stylus that comes with an optical camera at the tip of the device. The camera is then used to track invisible markings on the display which only the stylus will be able to read. On top of that, the stylus is expected to introduce haptic feedback and will come built with a haptic actuator and a short-range wireless receiver. We know that Samsung is interested in styluses, after all they did introduce it with the Galaxy Note so could this be Apple’s way of preparing for the future? It’s hard to say for now but we will be keeping our eyes peeled nonetheless.