Apple has filed a couple of patents that could give us a glimpse into the future of the Apple Pencil. East new stylus is equipped with contact sensors that detect different gestures and provide new ways to interact with devices such as the iPad.
The patent application, titled "Stylus with touch sensor," was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office this week. In it, Apple describes a new smart pen that features loads of capacitive touch sensors to enable new functionality.
The information collected by these sensors can be translated into screen interface controls. For example, when a user rotates the stylus, the same motion can be applied to an object on the screen, such as a vector in an image editing application.
"The system is capable of processing both one-touch and multi-touch gestures, which can then be used to manipulate objects on the screen." "Finger placement opens door to advanced device interaction."
Swiping a finger up and down on the stylus could also allow users to scroll through a web page or document, while a 'blink' gesture could initiate inertial scrolling or activate the pull updates feature in applications like Twitter.
Apple also describes how force sensors could be used for even more precise operation. For example, firmly grasping the drawing pen could increase the precision, when pressing it could toggle the virtual buttons. One tap could allow users to select items on screen.
In Apple's second patent, entitled "Electronic devices with hand detection circuitry," the company exposes another system that uses contact sensors to establish whether a user is holding a device like the iPhone in the left or right hand.
With this information, the device could then offer a custom user interface to suit one-handed use. You could also ensure that the common buttons appear on the correct side of the screen so that they are easier to access with your thumb. This would be particularly interesting with large devices like the iPhone 6s Plus.
Of course, Apple patents are not a guarantee of things to come. However, it is clear that Apple is working, at least, to make the Apple Pencil something bigger.