Apple just patented a trackball Apple Pencil

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office just granted Apple U.S. Patent No. 12,353,649, suggesting the company is thinking well beyond the iPad when it comes to the future of the Apple Pencil. Here are the details.

According to the filing, “INPUT DEVICE WITH OPTICAL SENSORS” (via Patently Apple), Apple has been exploring a stylus equipped with optical sensors that can track motion, orientation, and position in 3D space, without needing to touch a screen. That would allow users to draw…