[iMore.com]

An early patent granted to Apple shows an iPod-like virtual click wheel implementation on an iPad, hinting that Apple tested the UI for other devices. Full story from the iMore Blog...

[Up_And_Away]

This probably wouldn’t have been as bad an error as the Apple ROKR phone (pre-iPhone) but with the ROKR Apple could say “it was Motorola’s fault). A click wheel IPad would have left Apple no one to blame but themselves. Fortunately the idea was probably just a couple of engineers playing around with the idea but was never close to fruition.

[scruffypig]

Apple patents lots of things. Just because they patent the idea, doesn’t mean it has to come to fruition. Apple has a right to govern their company and product decisions as they see fit, you know.