Based on recent reports, Apple may have taken a page from Samsung's playbook regarding the design of its rumored iPad Pro tablet.
According to Tech Times, the Cupertino-based tech firm recently filed a patent for a stylus pen. Based on the images presented in the document, this accessory will be used for a tablet device, which could be the iPad Pro.
Although it may seem that Apple is trying to replicate the functionality of Samsung's S Pens for the Galaxy Note devices, the stylus pen of the former will have a different purpose.
As explained in the document, the stylus will feature an image sensor or camera on its tip. This hardware can scan the surface of an object which will then be projected through the device's display.
Value Walk noted that the main feature of this technology is reproducing the texture of the surface that the stylus pen has scanned.
"The stylus includes an image sensing and capture device to permit a surface to be scanned using the stylus and an image may be stored and displayed on an electronic device to represent the texture of the scanned surface," Apple wrote in the patent.
If the texture-capture stylus pen does come out with the iPad Pro, then the upcoming device will be the company's first iPad that features this accessory.
During his time, Apple founder Steve Jobs strongly opposed the concept of stylus pens. For him, pairing them with mobile devices is not practical because for one, they get lost easily.
As for the upcoming tablet's other features, Paste Magazine reported that the device is expected to sport a 12.93-inch display with a resolution of 2732x2048 pixels. It will also come with a USB Type-C port and front-facing speakers.
Also, since Apple is already near the full release of the iOS 9, it won't come as a surprise if the iPad Pro ships out with this operating system onboard. Rumors suggest that it the next-generation tablet will come out in November with a possible retail price of below $900.
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