Apple has filed an application with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for an optical stylus patent.
美国苹果公司向美国专利和商标管理办公室提交了一份光学手写笔的专利申请。
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，你没看错：苹果想要一个手写笔专利，而这是斯蒂芬·乔布斯在他发布最早的iPhone时就嗤之以鼻的东西。
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.
苹果的手写笔概念，跟如今你经常使用的简单手写笔有轻微的不同。这款光写手写笔可以根据压力传感器获得触觉反馈，并通过内置的摄像头获得视觉反馈。
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.
这款手写笔会有一个或更多的方位感应装置，比如水平陀螺仪和自由落体传感器。触觉感应器也是一种选择。
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.
但这些不错的功能，很明显没办法改变随手写笔而来的一些问题。就像乔布斯曾经抱怨的那样：“手写笔？谁要这玩意？你不得不随身带着它们，你把它们放在一边然后你就弄掉了，真让人讨厌！”
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.
更长远来看，这项专利申请并不一定意味着下一代iPad就会有手写笔，也许遥远的将来会有，也许永远也不会。
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?
无论如何，苹果以注重产品的使用体验而闻名，我们可以肯定公司不会给iPhone 或 iPad硬加上一枝手写笔。毕竟，一枝光学手写笔怎么能跟苹果公司的设计哲学相匹配呢？你怎么看？