Apple patents new wider "touchpad"
Nonetheless, Macsimum news bring us the the news of a new Apple patent filing for a "Wide touchpad on a portable computer" that extends almost the entire width the the notebook, as opposed to being just in the middle.
The wide touchpad and keyboard disposed on the base assembly allow a user to interact with the display screen (e.g., enter data). In one embodiment, the wide touchpad may be a cursor control device having the capabilities of conventional computer mouse devices, such as the ability to point, drag, tap, and double tap objects on a graphical user interface, as well as more general purposes such as scrolling, panning, zooming, and rotating images on display screen. The wide touchpad extends into the areas on the surface of the base assembly that are normally reserved for palm rest areas (e.g., flat areas on the surface of the base assembly that support a user’s palms and/or wrists while typing).
If that has suitably confused you, check out the reasonable summary over at GadgetReview.com. If you're a real weenie you'll want to check out the eight drawings over at Macsimum News.