Apple has filed an application with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for an optical stylus patent.
美國蘋果公司向美國專利和商標(biāo)管理辦公室提交了一份光學(xué)手寫筆的專利申請(qǐng)。

Yes, you read that right: Apple wants to patent a stylus, the very thing Steve Jobs famously shunned when he unveiled the original iPhone.
是的，你沒看錯(cuò)：蘋果想要一個(gè)手寫筆專利，而這是斯蒂芬·喬布斯在他發(fā)布最早的iPhone時(shí)就嗤之以鼻的東西。

Apple's idea of the stylus, however, is slightly different from the simple styluses you usually get with tablets today. It's an optical device that can determine (via a pressure sensor) when it's in contact with a surface and can capture an image using a built-in camera.
蘋果的手寫筆概念，跟如今你經(jīng)常使用的簡(jiǎn)單手寫筆有輕微的不同。這款光寫手寫筆可以根據(jù)壓力傳感器獲得觸覺反饋，并通過內(nèi)置的攝像頭獲得視覺反饋。

In one iteration, the stylus also may include one or more orientation determining sensors, such as accelerometers and/or gyroscopes. Haptic feedback is also an option.
這款手寫筆會(huì)有一個(gè)或更多的方位感應(yīng)裝置，比如水平陀螺儀和自由落體傳感器。觸覺感應(yīng)器也是一種選擇。

This functionality obviously doesn't change the usual problems that come with a stylus."Who wants a stylus? You have to get them, you put them away, you lose them -- yuck," Jobs complained.
但這些不錯(cuò)的功能，很明顯沒辦法改變隨手寫筆而來的一些問題。就像喬布斯曾經(jīng)抱怨的那樣：“手寫筆？誰要這玩意？你不得不隨身帶著它們，你把它們放在一邊然后你就弄掉了，真讓人討厭！”

Furthermore, the patent application doesn't necessarily mean the next iPad will come with a stylus -- perhaps it will happen in the distant future, perhaps never.
更長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)來看，這項(xiàng)專利申請(qǐng)并不一定意味著下一代iPad就會(huì)有手寫筆，也許遙遠(yuǎn)的將來會(huì)有，也許永遠(yuǎn)也不會(huì)。

However, Apple is well known for the usability of its products, and we're sure the company wouldn't just pack a stylus with an iPhone or iPad as an afterthought. What do you think: How could an optical stylus fit with Apple's design philosophy?
無論如何，蘋果以注重產(chǎn)品的使用體驗(yàn)而聞名，我們可以肯定公司不會(huì)給iPhone 或 iPad硬加上一枝手寫筆。畢竟，一枝光學(xué)手寫筆怎么能跟蘋果公司的設(shè)計(jì)哲學(xué)相匹配呢？你怎么看？