Skeuomorphica aesthetic for audio, video apps

The US Patent and Trademark Office today granted Apple a patent on the idea of a "virtual knob" that could show an on-screen knob with an active "slider" type control that appears underneath it only when a mouse, stylus or finger moves to control it. The idea would allow for skeuomorphic design of traditional knob controls (particularly widely used on real-world audio and video equipment) that overcomes the flat dimensionality of screen displays.

Sliders and knobs with precision (usually numeric) inputs below them are nothing new, nor is the idea of virtual knobs (as seen in the examples below). But in the case of knobs, "turning" them is awkward, with users unsure of whether to use a vertical or horizontal scroll (or a circular motion) to "turn" them.

In addition, getting the knobs to a precise point without text-based precision inputs is almost impossible. Apple's patent combines the best of the existing ideas to create a knob that looks like a real-world knob when inactive, but can be "turned" using a slider with precise visual feedback regarding the setting when the user interacts with it (see patent illustrations, below).

Some have suggested the patent may indicate that Apple is continuing research on a touch-based full computer (despite the late Steve Jobs going out of his way to demonstrate the "gorilla arm" effect). However, the technology could also be interpreted to cover both mouse-and-trackpad-based Mac OS X and finger-or-stylus-based iOS in a single patent.

The company has spent years patenting various touch-based technologies, many of which have not yet been seen with Apple's mobile devices for various reasons. One possible explanation is that Apple simply wants to make sure it profits from touch options that might be used by its competitors, even if it does not itself decide to employ the technology on its own products.

The patent application is more indicative of Apple's ongoing attempts to incorporate skeuomorphic (inspired by real-world 3D objects) design into its visual displays. The concept varies from the "gray linen" background pattern of the OS X Lion login screen to the sometimes-derided "stitched leather" look of Lion's (and iOS's) iCal and Address Book apps, among others. Third-party developers have taken the cue and often incorporate "retro-inspired" visual UI in their apps, particularly for iOS (and especially popular in photography and audio applications).

The design philosophy is not always considered the most efficient or practical (and the majority of OS X apps still employ a more modern variation based on OS X's original "Aqua" design). Nonetheless, the approach is considered to have psychological benefits of making users more comfortable with new applications and implying similar-to-real-world functionality by making the apps more relatable to the real-world objects that the user is comfortable with or nostalgic for.

The patent, number 20120030626, is credited to Michael Stephen Hopkins and Robert David Aron. It was originally filed in July of 2010.

Examples of existing "knobs" in applications










The "gorilla arm" effect








Apple's "virtual knob" patent images

by MacNN Staff