Apple appears to be working on a new keyboard. A newly published patent offers a glimpse of what the Cupertino elite have been working on diligently in a top-secret lab.

The technology described is designed to protect Apple's keyboards from water and dust ingress, but the drawings depict an entirely new type of keyboard, which may suggest that the company is working on a keyboard with an integrated trackpad. This keyboard could be used docked with a Mac, or it could suggest a new type of Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro.

The cut and thrust of the language in the patent describes a new membrane that could be used to catch liquids and particles before they penetrate the sensitive electronics contained inside. As is often the case with patents, the scope of this patent is quite broad, and not a single material is named as part of the design. Apple describes it as follows:

"For example, flexible structures such as flexible membranes, fabrics, meshes, woven materials, knit materials, or composite layers, in combination with keycaps, create a substantially continuous, smooth, consistent visual appearance, sound deadening, and intrusion resistant top surface for the input device and inter-key covers, and can provide a flexible bridge or inter-key support between keycaps.

The included drawings show the various weave designs the company is considering. Some are fairly simple lattice designs, while others are interlocking meshes that appear much more complex. The patent also mentions sealants that could be applied to these mesh designs to prevent pests from entering the interior.

From these drawings, it appears that Apple is trying to change the portable keyboard landscape, but these designs are most likely most effectively applicable to the Mac. It is certainly possible that a stand-alone unit with a touchpad is being developed, but that is somewhat unlikely and is not the focus of the actual patent here.

Later in the patent, there is a reference to the use of a stylus, "A user apparatus such as a finger or stylus can be moved across the top surface of the flexible layer 200 and/or keycaps 103, 206 to mechanically, capacitively, or electrically activate switches This can be used to control the electronic device in a manner different from the actuation of the switch structure 302, which is actuated by pressing down on the keycap 103/206 to activate the switch.

This suggests that this keyboard has a proposed touch sensitivity that would work with, for example, an Apple pencil. It could certainly be applied to the trackpad area, which probably should already support the pencil in some form, since it is awesome.

The patent was published on April 1 and was first filed with the USPTO in September 2019. That could mean that Apple is further along in the development of these new keyboard options than is often the case with these patent applications.

It certainly makes sense for Apple to consider new ways to protect its keyboards from water and dust damage. Given that dust has been a common cause of keyboard failure in Apple's redesigned butterfly switches, this new design could prevent future class action lawsuits.