Would you buy a MacBook without a physical keyboard? Apple has been granted a new patent for a dual-screen MacBook device that uses a virtual keyboard instead

In other words, instead of typing with physical keys, you would use something like an enlarged Touch Bar Strange as it may sound, it still seems like a better option than the much-maligned butterfly keyboard [According to Patently Apple, this virtual keyboard is customizable, allowing users to swap the keyboard and trackpad positions, as well as support ergonomic designs and different keyboard layouts This would be especially useful from a production standpoint, as Apple can create a single MacBook without having to adapt the keyboard to each region

It is also good news for those who worry about using the smooth, glossy finish of the touchscreen versus the tactile feel of physical buttons The virtual keyboard also provides tactile and audio feedback and is designed to "provide a natural keyboard experience"

Presumably it will be accompanied by a clicking sound and a tactile response that tells you that you actually hit the keys correctly, something touch-screen keyboards typically lack

However, there could be an add-on option for a mechanical keyboard that sits above the virtual display, if the user so desires Also detailed are multiple Touch ID sensors along the front of the MacBook, Face ID, and a wireless charger in the lower left corner

The patent also mentions the possibility of the virtual keyboard being used as a game controller, while also potentially offering various types of touch input Gestures, multi-touch, swiping, etc, which are available on iPhones and iPads but not on MacBooks without touchscreens

In addition, a palm rejection system will be included, so putting your hand or wrist on the area that doubles as the trackpad will not cause any real problems

The important thing about patents is that having them and planning to use them are not the same thing Sure, Apple may have created some designs to show how a virtual MacBook keyboard would work, but that doesn't mean it will happen anytime soon

In particular, this is quite ambitious Dual-screen laptops do exist, but they have never been common or widespread in any meaningful way Part of this may be due to the fact that replacing the keyboard with a touchscreen is not as simple as adding a second virtual display

While touchscreen keyboards are suitable for basic phone and tablet use, typing on a touchscreen panel is quite different from typing on a physical keyboard with physical buttons Especially for touch typing, physical keys are easier to use without looking at them

Apple's patent attempts to solve this problem, but whether it will work or not remains to be seen An idea may sound good on paper, but it doesn't always work out the way it's supposed to

Like the infamous butterfly keyboard, it was supposed to be thinner than a traditional scissor-switch keyboard, but with a greater range of key movement Obviously, given the worldwide dislike of butterfly keyboards, it didn't work

The virtual keyboard panel is an interesting idea, but it does not look like something we will see anytime soon Unless some flawed design makes it into production, the physical keyboard is a fairly reliable mechanism Changing it to something less reliable is not in anyone's best interest

We will just have to see what Apple does in the next few years