Today on the web it was revealed that Apple has been granted a broad 3D interface patent that can form the foundation of future Mac OS and iOS interfaces. Previous reports of this patent work have been shown before by online publications such as AppleInsider. This latest news reveals far more detail of Apple’s intended direction.
Transition Instance
Unique to Apple’s plans is to utilize within a full 3D version of the desktop metaphor an “instance translation.” In essence this means a small icon object (of a file or folder) can transition within the 3D user space through a zoom effect which will reveal high-level view or functionality information of that object. This is similar to the Mac’s current preview functionality in the Mac OS today but far more extensive.
In essence the user can opt not to click on an object to open it just to read it or view it completely. Instead the user will be able to view, read and likely play files with what appears a single-action translation within the UI.
To see the patent images and learn more visit PatentlyApple.com. The article is here.