[citation][nom]bear95[/nom]A
Apple patent patents?[/citation]
IBM is way ahead of them....
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ibm-patents-the-patent,11868.html
PATENTCEPTION!!
In all seriousness though, laptop touchpads that distinguish netween finger and palm already exist. They help avoid accidental input when a hand brushes on it. Also, Microsofts Surface V2 screens, have now the ability to "see" the objects that are near them through an extra infrared sensor pixel beside every set of rgb pixels. Not only that, but they can actually "remember" objects (i.e. two people put all 10 fingers on the screen and take them off. If one of them puts his left index finger on it again, the screen "knows" it's that person's left index finger from before).
I haven't read the patent yet, but it sounds like a combination of the two. As for the size, I seriously hope they don't actually patent the wide touchpad...