An Apple patent (number 201202237) shows that Apple is working on ways for cursors in Mac OS X to more easily transition based on where it’s located on screen and what activity is underway at the time.
Responsive to a trigger event, a first cursor state having a first visual appearance is transitioned into a second cursor state having a second visual appearance. A transition type and transition time can be specified so that the transition can be visually perceived by a user. The cursor states can be associated with different cursor types and/or cursor schemes.
Here’s Apple’s background and summary of the invention: “A cursor is a moving placement or pointer that indicates a position on a display. Some computer operating systems use multiple cursor types. For example, an arrow cursor may be used in one application and a crosshair or text cursor may be used in another application. Different cursor types can help a user interact with an operating system and applications.
“Cursors often run in hardware (e.g., on a video card) separated from the main computer. Different cursor types can help a user interact with an operating system application and controls. Cursors can also provide feedback about what will happen when a mouse or other pointing device is manipulated by the user.”
John O. Louch is the inventor.
