Apple's MacBook Pro Touch Bar may be seen as a waste by some, myself included, but it appears that Apple is not done installing screens on the keyboard. These mini-screens could even be placed inside the touchpad.

The news comes via an Apple Insider patent report. U.S. Patent No. 10,585,494 is titled "Auxiliary text display integrated into a keyboard device," and it shows the iconic computing phrase "HELLO" inside the space bar. The phrase "hello world" is depicted in the space bar. While this did not seem particularly valuable, other examples convinced me that Apple has new ideas.

Did you know that there are tons of keyboard shortcuts that savvy users know and their less-informed relatives don't? One image from the patent shows a series of copy, paste, and cut shortcuts that could appear on the touchpad while the user holds down the Ctrl key. Funny thing is, Apple computers do not use the Ctrl key for these commands, but rather the Command key.

In another example, the touchpad looks much like the space above the iOS keyboard. After the user types "Hello Wo," the touchpad displays several options: "world," "would," and "work."

Apple's sales pitch reads as follows in the patent:

"Users may be somewhat limited in their productivity while operating a computer, especially when entering data from a keyboard. However, little progress has been made in recent years to improve the typing efficiency of users operating desktop and laptop computers. Therefore, keyboard design needs to be improved in order to increase efficiency and enhance the user experience when typing on desktop and laptop computers.

There is also a diagram of a touchpad mirroring a desktop (which, according to the patent, functions as an "auxiliary display"), suggesting that one can drag and drop folders on the touchpad. If you ask me, that seems a bit unnecessary.

Interestingly, another diagram applies this to an external keyboard on a desktop Mac, incorporating a screen touchpad on the right side.

Of course, this (like all patent news) should be taken with a grain of salt. Apple may be thinking of making this a reality, but it is also possible that they did this to try to prevent competitors from doing the same thing. Patents are more an indication of some interest than a guarantee of intent.