Several blog posts and features shared what may be coming soon from Apple: touch screen technology for the iMac and the MacBook.

The buzz was caused by the filing of a European patent on July 9, which showed a computer that has the ability to switch between the use of a mouse and touch-based input, through an adjustable stand, as shared in a feature on PC World. Credited with the “discovery” of the patent filing is the blog Patently Apple, which shared, along with a detailed discussion of the patent, diagrams of what is being called the iMac Touch. Apple hardware engineering manager Paul Costa is said to be listed as the inventor on the patent filing.

The diagram of the Apple iMac Touch with Flex Base shows a computer that looks like an iMac, but is equipped with an adjustable stand. The stand can hold the computer upright, but can also be used to tilt the computer horizontally, allowing the user to use it like an iPad – this time, however, providing a larger screen, kind of like a giant iPad, if one can call it that. It will reportedly run on Mac OSX.

The infusion of touch screen technology into the computer is an acknowledgment that there are certain computer applications that work best with a touch screen, such as games and media, while other applications, such as word processing, still need to use a mouse and a keyboard. Hence, a computer that can do both is certainly a plus.

Originally posted on Print Country Blog