Patent proposal depicts more advanced iOS gestures
updated 05:05 pm EDT, Thu August 11, 2011
Ideas might be used to bridge Mac OS, iOS
Another newly-exposed Apple patent application suggests adding more complex gestures to iOS, notes Patently Apple. The commands would help "manipulate and organize various graphical objects" in a style similar to "conventional personal computers," Apple's filing indicates. Some examples include "digging a hole" or "opening a trap door" to put files into, or even "shredding" documents with multiple fingers, triggering a secure deletion process.
One of the more unusual gesture ideas involves wireless transfer between devices. By tracing a circle around files on an iPad, for instance, a person could mark those items for transfer, and then "pour" them into a nearby device. Apple has already made easy local file exchange a minor feature of OS X Lion in the form AirDrop, although no gestures are involved.
The application may help fuel speculation that Apple is planning to merge Mac OS and iOS within the next few years. Lion already incorporates many iPad-like interface elements, such as Launchpad, while iOS is being made more independent. After this fall's iOS 5 update, the platform will be capable of functioning without syncing to a computer.
