Those folks in Cupertino just keep the crazy patent filings coming and this latest one is no exception: Apple is apparently looking to create touchpads and scroll wheels that respond to user stimuli with light and color. “By way of example, it may be desirable to provide visual stimuli at the touch pad so that a user can better operate the touch pad,” the filing reads. “For example, the visual stimuli may be used (among others) to alert a user when the touch pad is registering a touch, alert a user where the touch is occurring on the touch pad, provide feedback related to the touch event, indicate the state of the touch pad, and/or the like.” It remains to be seen whether this sort of feedback could provide an intuitive feedback mechanism or if it would simply amount to a disposable design–if previous crazy Apple patents offer any indication, we might never see it at all.

For more on the filing:
– see this article from Apple Insider