Apple Trackpad Photos Leaked Ahead Of WWDC

Images of an Apple multi-touch trackpad peripheral have been leaked on tech website Engadget, ahead of today’s keynote address by Steve Jobs at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco.

Engadget’s spy shots show the trackpad from the top, side and bottom, and hint at a device around the same size as Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad, built for finger actions such as swiping and pinch-to-zoom. There is a stand – that may double as a battery compartment – with little rubber feet on the bottom. The stand has an on/off switch at one end but, aside from that, there appears to be no buttons.

The trackpad device is similar in design to Apple’s wireless keyboard, which connects to desktops and laptops using Bluetooth. A person who claims to be personally testing the device told Engadget that it supports handwriting recognition, as well as “every feature you can find on a Magic Mouse”.

Finger-friendly technology

The rumoured trackpad device fits in with Apple’s recent moves away from standard input devices to finger-based input in many of its products, such as Mac laptops and the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It appears that Apple may now be aiming to translate the success of its mobile touch input devices to the desktop environment.

The reaction from industry commentators has been mixed, with some saying a multi-touch trackpad peripheral will appeal to those who prefer gestural input to using a mouse. However, others say using a desktop PC without a mouse would seem wrong. As usual, Apple looks set to challenge people’s expectations.

Also at WWDC, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is expected to announce the upcoming next-generation iPhone, dubbed “iPhone 4G” by the media. The company has already revealed the iPhone OS 4,  during a presentation at its Cupertino, California, headquarters in April.

iPhone 4G rumours

While Apple has not confirmed the existence of a next-generation smartphone in the works, the past few summers have seen regular iPhone refreshes. That, together with a pair of leaked devices purported to be iPhone 4G prototypes, lends credence to the idea of the WWDC hosting the next iPhone generation’s unveiling.

The leaked prototypes included a front-facing camera, potentially for video conferencing, as well as a larger battery and high-definition screen. “If they come out with something revolutionary, something like what Android is bringing to the table – wireless syncing – that could be huge,” Michael Oh, president of Apple specialist Tech Superpowers, told eWEEK on 30 May. “That’s the real key to WWDC – how is Apple going to come out of this ‘Apple versus Google’ battle.”

Another rumour that that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will appear at the conference to tout his company’s mobile productivity applications or Silverlight has been debunked by multiple sources.