Adapted by:
Isra Fdez
ContributorTwelve years of cultural critique, audio design, and tech consulting. Editor-in-chief at Applesfera.
Isra Fdez
ContributorTwelve years of cultural critique, audio design, and tech consulting. Editor-in-chief at Applesfera.
I love the Magic Mouse. Sure, Apple’s official mouse has plenty of critics—but I keep coming back to its standout feature: effortless horizontal scrolling. There’s something elegant about gliding from left to right across a window with just a swipe of your index finger. It flips the usual logic: Instead of the mousepad acting as the base for navigation, the back of the Magic Mouse itself becomes an X/Y surface.
It’s an ingenious idea, one that surely remains in the future Magic Mouse 2, and one that very few manufacturers have replicated because of its technological complexity. And it’s an idea that Apple now considers for keyboards. What if the spacebar were a directional control? If the company end up making it, it already has a buyer.
At the end of last month, the European Patent Office published a new Apple application that points in this direction: a futuristic spacebar that detects movement, including eye movements and gestures. It can change its function depending on what you’re doing. This has only shown up in science fiction movies and the Vision Pro.
A Keyboard That Looks at You
The patent in question describes a system that allows the physical keyboard to operate in two modes: one for regular typing and another for controlling functions with gestures, without needing to change devices or use a special keyboard. Everything would be built into keyboards like the MacBook, iMac, and even the iPad’s Magic Keyboard.
The trick is a combination of visual sensors and intelligent software. In “typing mode,” the system ignores the camera and acts like a traditional keyboard. But in “tracking mode,” the cameras and sensors activate to follow your hands and detect when you tap or slide your fingers over some regions of the keyboard, especially the spacebar.
For example, suppose you tap a particular area of the keyboard or make a gesture over the spacebar. In that case, you can switch to tracking mode to move the cursor, scroll, and navigate through interfaces without touching the trackpad or mouse. And yes, in some cases, you could even control it with your eyes. The system knows if you’re looking at a particular button and detects if you’re tapping or gesturing over it. Improved usability.
A Project in the Works Since 2020
Apple has tested different options in its labs for a decade. This patent didn’t come out of nowhere. The company has worked on this concept since 2020 and filed a similar patent back in 2023, according to Patently Apple. What’s interesting is that this new publication, dated late April, shows how the project continues to evolve and refine.
So don’t be surprised if, in a few years, when you’re typing on your MacBook, your keyboard not only recognizes what you’re typing but also how you’re moving your fingers or where you’re looking. Turning the long key to split words into a new control surface could be versatile and full of options. Or not: When Apple introduced the Touch Bar, I thought we were looking at a minor revolution in the market. Then it turned out to be less functional. Until you try it, you won’t know if it's genius or just a simple feature with no future.
What’s clear is that a lot backs this patent. Like the Magic Mouse—if you have big hands, I get why it’s not your favorite model. Also, much has improved since the first model compared to the battery-powered Magic Mouse. Apple refined details like the curve and weight of the batteries, which created some inertia, making it less precise. The battery-powered model feels lighter and more balanced.
And if Apple hasn’t changed it, it’s because the company believes in it—no more, no less. And no, I don’t think you’ll have to turn the keyboard upside down to charge it. At least Apple seem clear about that.
Image | Anthony Choren (Unsplash)
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