Apple files for a patent which could kill traditional keyboards

Apple has filed for a new patent, which may replace the traditional QWERTY keyboard for a new virtual keyboard! The next generation of Macbooks could feature a completely flat, touchscreen keypad instead of a traditional keyboard.A report by Mirror points out that the patent was filed last year, and includes a diagram of a laptop where the keyboard is simply replaced with a giant white space. The technology would clearly work through haptic feedback. It is being said that the sense and drive layers detect a force exerted on the metal contact layer. This is done by using an array of pixels on the sense and drive layers that determine an input location when active pixels are aligned on both layers.The report adds that a user then gets a response to his or her action, thanks to a haptic feedback module and a light guide layer that lights up the “keys” through extremely tiny holes in the metal surface.If the track pad has no depth, the company could work on offering it's thinnest laptop ever. Recently, the company was also awarded a patent which it applied for back in 2013. The patent clearly points to a revamped speaker design that makes use of an audio chamber inside the device, allowing it to pump out louder and clearer audio.