"Who wants a stylus? You have to get 'em, and put 'em away. You lose 'em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus." These were the words of the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, at MacWorld 2007 conference in San Francisco.
After almost seven years, the US Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent for Apple that reserves copyrights for a new technology -- a communicating stylus. Apple's stylus is more of a smart pen, according to the patent description, first spotted by Apple Insider.
According to Apple Insider, the patented stylus is equipped with accelerometers, wireless communication hardware, onboard storage that can transfer hand-written notes and drawings to a digital device like an iPad.
Theoretically, the pen can be used to write on any surface like tablet, paper or even in the air, thanks to the 3D motion sensors. It can also be equipped with different tips to use it as a pen, pencil or marker. The data would get recorded automatically and transferred to the screen of an iPad in real time.
"The stylus tracks its different positions while a user is writing or drawing and then either stores the data to be uploaded later or transmits the data simultaneously to a computing device," Apple writes about the stylus In its application, The Register noted.
"The computing device then displays the images and text drawn on the surface. The computing device may be located anywhere, as long as it is able to communicate with the stylus, and is able to display the written text or images."
The patent application for the stylus was filed one year ahead of Jobs' death, in January 2010.
This is isn't the first time Apple has filed for stylus patent as in March last year, the company patented an input device having extendable nib. The latest patent filing does not guarantee stylus integration into iPad. Tech companies are constantly inventing new techniques and preserving them with patents even if there is no implementation. At least, it won't be entirely surprising to see a stylus pen with an iPad in the near future.
