Multitouch Gesture Patents Could Prevent Standardization

ozmanjusri brings us a Wired report on Apple's efforts to patent the multitouch gestures used on their laptops, smartphones, and tablets. The article discusses concerns over how this could affect the standardization of certain gestures in developing multitouch technology. We've previously discussed the patent applications themselves. Quoting Wired: "If Apple's patent applications are successful, other manufacturers may have no choice but to implement multitouch gestures of their own. The upshot: You might pinch to zoom on your phone, swirl your finger around to zoom on your notebook, and triple-tap to zoom on the web-browsing remote control in your home theater. That's an outcome many in the industry would like to avoid. Synaptics, a company that by most estimates supplies 65 to 70 percent of the notebook industry with its touchpad technology, is working on its own set of universal touch gestures that it hopes will become a standard. These gestures include scrolling by making a circular motion, moving pictures or documents with a flip of the finger, and zooming in or out by making, yes, a pinching gesture."

Comments

Universal?

[Ctrl Alt De1337]

If there's a company that stands to lose from having a non-standard input scheme, it's definitely not the one that has >90% of the desktop market. I mean, if you not only have to learn a new OS, new shortcuts, in some cases new applications, and now a new input scheme, it seems that Apple would be erecting a new barrier to Mac adoption, not encouraging Mac adoption. If Microsoft implements gestures of its own (like what it has said it'll do in Windows 7), I'd bet those are more likely to become the standard than Apple's gestures.

Re:Universal?

[milsoRgen]

vista sp1 breaks programs left and right even when they are actually compatible. If you look at the list from the article yesterday, it was a very small number of programs. A dozen or so? And all the companies had been notified in advance. And as I said yesterday, it's been long over due that Microsoft stopped hard coding little fixes and work arounds for improperly coded 1st and 3rd party software.

Sad that you need to expend so much effort just to make products NOT work. I'm not talking about DRM or file formats, but I will say Microsoft has taken efforts over the years to ensure their products as well as others do work, take a look at the Win2k source code overview, granted that is Win2k but I don't think the development environment really would of changed all that drastically from then to now.

How about customizability?

[Angst Badger]

It probably wouldn't kill device manufacturers to make the gestures on their devices customizable. That way, if you are used to the Apple gestures, you can use them; otherwise, you can use the defaults or whatever else you prefer. That would make Apple's patents irrelevant, as well as leave Apple at a disadvantage with its One UI to Rule Them All philosophy.

Defensive use?

[bidule]

I am surprised nobody mentioned that those other companies (RIM, Nokia and Synaptics) also hold spurious patents that could block iPhones? It seems Apple is just joining the fray by carving its own territory. Hateful but oh so typical of the industry.

In a sense, the industry uses patent minefield in the same way that France used the Maginot line. When someone blitzkriegs around it with a paradigm shift, everyone is in a hurry to dig new trenches and claim new territories.

Already obsolescent?

[Kupfernigk]

In a world in which digital cameras have face and smile recognition (perhaps the most pointless development of neural network technology anywhere?) how long before the touchpad is replaced by a little short focus digital camera that detects the fingers? In which case, rather than multitouch, you could have three dimensional object recognition and a hugely expanded gesture set.

This is one case where an industry standard is the only thing that makes sense. Make the gesture set standard and allow people to patent specific implementations (physical not software) which offer new features.

Unfortunately, in my experience it's the marketing and sales departments who, because of their competitive mindset, don't understand the benefits of collaboration in growing the overall market. When they do turn up at standards meetings as observers, the results are sometimes laughable but usually cringeworthy for the engineers from their companies. Microsoft XML is a case in point. I confidently expect these people to continue to act as a brake on the wheels of input mechanism progress.

OOOOOOOOR

[falcon5768]

Apple could just simply license it, which they have for most of their technology anyway... Do people really realize how much of the computing world relys on Apple patents? Your PC sitting under your desk running XP likely has at least 3-4 parts that are LICENSED from Apple.

Just because something is patented doesnt mean people cant use it, and companies wont license it.

Re:This is good...

[Wolfbone]

The Apple patents are good for business and the rest of the computing arena, as they will spur creativity and growth as a work around to the patent issues, assuming no one wants to license the patents. Your claim that the Apple patents (and patents like them) are a good thing is, unsurprisingly, unsupported by the evidence.

http://researchoninnovation.org/

I am really struck by the number of /.ers who fall for naive patent system mythology, though I don't blame them for it. However, to any /.er reading this who is pro-free market but who has listened to some of the woo churned out by the pro-software patent cranks and been made to feel uneasy about taking an anti-software patent stance, I say this: do a little nerdish studying of the subject (patent system economics), "dismal science" though it may be, and you'll come to realise you could've trusted your instincts about software patents in the first place. You won't feel you have to be an apologist for crap patents like these Apple ones anymore, you'll have facts and economic science to back you up, and you'll feel a lot better - I know I did.

Re:It will pass.

[hairyfeet]

After just taking a tour of a major college campus my bet is that the small and/or cheap laptop is going to be the new standard.This was a very affluent campus,and the students could afford any mobile device they wanted.The ones on the cells,with the exception of those blasting off a quick text,were simply using them to chat with their friends.But everywhere I looked I saw the small Apple laptops and the Asus EEE laptops.I mean EVERYWHERE,the grounds,break rooms,student centers,all over the place.I figured the Apple would be popular,but I saw nearly as many of the Asus.I even asked a girl in the break room what made her get one."It is just too easy to use,and I don't have to freak if I scratch it like I always did when I took my macbook out".And if that girl from OLPC comes up with an under $200 laptop,give it up.

The reason I believe that laptops haven't become as popular as they could is the price.Just like that girl with her macbook folks are scared of breaking their expensive laptops.But a cheap,easy to use,and lightweight laptop that you can just chunk in your bag without freaking if it gets scratched? That thing will take off,as we have seen somewhat with the Asus,and will will definitely see if they come out with an under $200 laptop.And like the above poster said,folks can just work faster with a keyboard.They have used them all their lives,they know the shortcuts they use the most,and are generally happy with them.While I can see gestures becoming popular on things like mp3 players and cell phones,I think ultra cheap,ultra portable laptops will become the "must have" of the next 5-10 years.As always my 02c,YMMV.