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Keyboards have come a long way in the past couple of years; Apple's best laptops now have a built-in fingerprint scanner and the programmable Touch Bar. But what if every single key on the MacBook keyboard was also a little display?

This might actually happen in the future. Patently Apple has unearthed an Apple patent which describes a "reconfigurable keyboard," where every key has an "associated key display."

The patent application describes a system which could be used in conjunction with a mechanical keyboard design.Credit: uspto.gov

"Control circuitry in the keyboard may direct the key displays to display dynamically adjustable key labels for the keys," the patent application says.

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This setup would allow for responsive keys which light up when pressed or indicate whether option, control or command keys are pressed. The keyboard could also be reconfigured to better suit a gaming setup, or to switch from one language format to another.

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Apple has filed similar patents before, but this one is notable because the system is designed to work with mechanical keys, meaning it could be implemented on a keyboard similar to the one Apple is currently using on its MacBooks. There's no word on when (or if) this will actually happen, though.

Art Lebedev Studio's Optimus Maximus did something similar to Apple's patent back in 2007.Credit: art lebedev studio

Apple isn't the first company to think of this. Art Lebedev Studio launched its Optimus Maximus keyboard, which had displays on each key, back in 2007, but it is no longer available for purchase.

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TopicsApple