On March 2, 2006, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2006/0044259 (Serial No. 10/927575) was published, revealing an Apple computer laptop with an extra-wide touchpad surface. This application, entitled "Wide touchpad on a portable computer" includes several images and a description of this "enlarged or wide touchpad." According to the application, an allegedly novel feature of the disclosed invention is that a user can rest his or her palm on one side of the touchpad and continue to control the touchpad using the other hand ("In one embodiment, the touchpad possesses the ability to reject accidental contact when a user does not intend to activate the touchpad (e.g., the touchpad is able to distinguish when a user is contacting the touchpad for intended use or is merely resting his or her palms on a particular portion of the touchpad during a typing activity"). The application further states that "the touchpad may effectively serve as a palm rest . . . in addition to a functional touchpad when an input is interpreted as being an intentional contact by the user." According to the specification, figures 4 and 5 of the published application show the "three regions of touchpad" technology.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2006/0044259: LINK
Macsimum News Article: LINK
Apple Computer Hardware Website: LINK