Apple patent application details magical mouse with a built-in display

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Could the Magic Mouse be replaced by an even more "magical" input
device? It might, if a just-published Apple patent application ever
results in an actual product. Described simply as a "computer input
device including a display device," the application clearly details a
mouse that would have both a touch-sensitive surface and a built-in
display. That, the application suggestions, could open up a whole
range of new input possibilities, including using the mouse as numeric
keypad, a phone, a personal digital assistant, or a graphics pad, to
name just a few. What's more, the nature of the collimated glass used
for the mouse would also apparently allow it to display a magnified
image of anything underneath, and the images displayed would seemingly
appear to be directly on the surface on the mouse, and not appear to
be under the glass (we're not talking about a regular capacitive
touchscreen on a mouse here). Of course, all of this is still just a
patent application, and Apple has a long, long string of those that
have yet to result in anything -- still, something about this one
strikes us a bit more likely than, say, a head-mounted iPhone display.