Another Apple patent filing was recently revealed and it indicates that the company is looking into a radical modification of the graphical user interface with the introduction of a “radial menu.” According to the application, a rotary wheel of options could be more efficient in terms of screen space and ease of use compared to the current drop-down list. Sample drawings accompanying the patent show the technology being used in both iOS and in the Mac OS X.The new menu could be a modification of current drop down menus where the most common items appear in a list but change to the radial menu if the user makes  circular motion. This would be pretty effective for touchscreen devices, allowing the user to navigate longer lists more easily when even holding the device in one hand and scrolling (or spinning) with a thumb. The same circular gesture could be used to open sub-menus as well. When the user reaches the menu option or sub-level, they want a linear gesture (swipe) or tap would be used to choose the option.

Not only can touchscreen devices use the new menu design but traditional mouse-and-pointer interfaces could also make use of it. The patent shows an example of a video-editing application on a desktop computer where radial menus are invoked by keyboard commands to do things like select clips to add to a project, as well as trimming and editing them. The United States Patent Application 20100306702, simply titled “Radial Menus,” is credited to Peter Warner of Paris, France. His LinkedIn profile shows him as a “Designer at Apple.” The application was filed on May 29, 2009.

What do you think of such an idea? Would it be something you would like to be using? Let us know in the comments below!

As usual, stay tuned for more tech news and info by following us on Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feed.

[Source: MacNN]

Authors: TechHead

to know more click here