Patent filings made by Apple in the USA and Europe reveal that the Company is looking at launching an iMac Touch which delivers similar features found in the iPad to a desktop PC.
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The patents that were first filed in September 2009 reveal a design similar to an all in one PC. The big difference is the inclusion of patented Apple touchscreen technology.
The website Patently Apple uncovered the patents that show a device in an upright position, like a standard iMac or flat screen monitor. The device can be controlled using a mouse and keyboard. When reclined, an accelerometer will trigger advanced multi-touch mode and switch the operating system from Mac OS X to iOS.
In addition to seamlessly switching modes/operating systems, the patent information also details a system that would allow peripheral control of an iPhone or iPad from the iMac touch.
The concept of a dual operating system that switches seamlessly based on orientation is unique for a desktop and would also work for a notebook.
Previously Apple has been known to dismiss the idea of touching the screen, at least within the context of a personal computer. Touchscreen for notebooks, as CEO Steve Jobs said once in 2008, hadn’t “made a lot of sense to us.” As has often been his practice, Jobs disparages something only a few years before he embraces it.
