We knew Apple's new Force Touch would make its way onto the upcoming refresh to the Cupertino giant's smartphone line, but recent reports indicate that the ninth generation of iPhone will feature an interesting next-gen version of the pressure-sensing technology.
Advanced Force Touch
The world of technology moves at a blisteringly fast pace - this is well-known. It seems that the next generation of Apple's Force Touch technology is soon to arrive.
Likely to be coined '3D Touch Display', the pressure-sensing ability of the upcoming iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will be more advanced than the versions of the technology on the first-gen Apple Watch and latest 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops.
The difference?
The MacBook trackpads and Apple Watch display are able to differentiate between a tap and a deep press, adding a single layer or dimension to the user experience. The new iPhones will be able to detect three different levels of pressure: a tap, a press, and an even deeper press, opening up all-new possibilities for the still-young Force Touch idea.
The name '3D Touch' is therefore derived from the three different amounts of pressure that the display will be able to detect. The door will be opened to some innovative UI tricks and shortcuts across the software, which will of course be iOS 9.
A new Taptic Engine is expected in the upcoming iPhones and iPad Pro to work in conjunction with the updated Force Touch technology.
What will it bring to the table?
A few things that will be made possible by '3D Touch' or any edition of Force Touch being brought to the iPhone:
- A user will be able to look up a location in the Maps app then Force Touch on the destination to immediately initiate turn-by-turn directions. Currently, a user has to find the destination, tap the navigation button, then tap another button to begin the navigation. Force Touch will allow two steps to be skipped in this instance.
- Users will be able to deep press on a track in a list in the Music app to bring up some commonly-used actions, including adding the song to a playlist and downloading it to the device to be able to listen to while offline. This would allow the user to make use of Force Touch rather than tapping the actions area on the right side of each track listed. Eventually, Force Touch will do away with such action buttons.
- According to one source, when a user deep presses on certain app icons, they will be immediately taken to certain areas within the respective app. For example, if you were to Force Touch on the Phone app, you would perhaps be taken directly to the Voicemail tab, or if you deep pressed on the News app you could be immediately brought to the Favorites or For You tabs of the all-new News app coming in iOS 9.
- Additionally, the basic Force Touch features from Apple's latest MacBooks with the technology built into the trackpad will be made possible on the iPhone. A user will be able to deep press on a link in Safari to not load but be shown a preview of the webpage of the link. You will also be able to Force Touch on an entry in the Contacts app to preview that person's contact card. Deep pressing on words to have their definition brought right up is to be expected as well.
- With three different levels of pressure sensitivity rather than two, game developers will likely be able to create games making unique use of the next-gen edition of Force Touch.
Also coming to the iPad Pro
The iPad Pro sounds as though it is still on Apple's impressive agenda for next Wednesday's Keynote, and the larger version of Apple's line of tablets will also see the new version of Force Touch, according to sources.
The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will be unveiled by Apple on Wednesday, September 9 and are expected to feature 12 megapixel cameras with 4K recording capability, an upgraded FaceTime camera, faster processors, animated wallpapers and a Rose Gold color option.
Follow @VAVEL_Tech on Twitter for coverage of Apple's long-awaited event on Wednesday.
Aaron Durant is the editor of the VAVEL USA Racing section. Follow him on Twitter at @DoubleA291.