When Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone and its revolutionary onscreen keyboard, it truly changed the game of how we type on smartphones for years to come. Other smartphone manufacturers had to offer something similar to compete with Apple. But as revolutionary as the iPhone's keyboard was in 2007, it hasn't really changed since then. Apple did add Emoji support, but that's not enough. According to a new report, Apple might be working on a major update to the keyboard in iOS 7 with help from Swype.
Swype's vice president, Aaron Sheedy, has confirmed his company has been in talks with Apple, leading many to believe the two are working on a possibly updated and revolutionary keyboard for iOS 7.
Swype was initially released on the Samsung Omnia II smartphone running Windows Mobile. As Android became more popular, Swype made the jump to Android and is considered one of the best typing experiences for the platform. When Google released Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, it also updated its built-in keyboard to have gesture functionality that virtually copied Swype.
If you're not familiar with Swype, it works by allowing users to enter words by sliding a finger from the first letter of a word to its last letter, lifting only between words. The software uses an auto-correction algorithm to guess your intended word and also uses a predictive text system, handwriting and speech recognition support to make typing faster, easier and more acccurate. The company was acquired by Nuance in 2011, and Nuance already has a very good relationship with Apple. Its technology is already very deeply integrated into iOS. Nuance powers everyone's favorite personal assistant, Siri.
Swype Vice President Aaron Sheedy held an AMA "ask me anything" on Reddit and an iOS fan posted, "I was curious as to whether you've ever had any contact with Apple, any conversations to see if they might have been interested in licensing your technology?"
Sheedy replied with;
"Hah. The million (ok billion) $ questions. Yes, we have chatted with them, they are very smart and nice."
While the statement does not confirm that Swype is coming to iOS 7, CultOfMac points out that Apple doesn't just invite anyone for talks, especially a company who develops an app exclusively for its biggest rival. Apple needs to step up its game and provide an update to the keyboard in iOS, especially when more and more rivals like BlackBerry are coming out with virtual keyboards that are much more innovative and run circles around Apple's offerings.
It's time for an update, and hopefully we'll see something "revolutionary" in iOS 7. We've been waiting for something new and it sounds like Apple is feeling the pressure to deliver.
