Apple To Launch Force-Sensitive Touchscreen Devices

The upcoming iPhone 6 (along with other Apple devices) may sport a new force-sensitive touchscreen, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal.

The report claims that Apple will implement a Force Touch technology in its iPhone 6, iPhone 6S and Macbook, which vibrates depending on the pressure of your touch. If you touch the display lightly, it will respond by triggering a light vibration of similar magnitude. But if you touch the display with a great deal of force, it will subsequently vibrate heavier and stronger.

So, how does Apple plan to accomplish such a feat? The report claims that Apple will add pressure sensors to its devices to gauge how hard users press against the touchscreen display.

“Apple plans to add sensors to detect how hard a user is pressing on a screen to its next iPhones, incorporating a technology used in its forthcoming MacBook and Apple Watch, according to people familiar with the matter,” wrote the Wall Street Journal in its report.

You might be wondering why Apple would even want to include force-sensitive touchscreen in its devices. After all, it doesn’t add any real value to the device’s functionality, right? Implementing vibrations that vary in magnitude depending on the force of your touch would likely create a more engaging experience for users — similar to the vibrations felt in a video game controller. The vibration would tell users that it read the user’s touch, giving them the peace of mind knowing that their device is working properly. If the vibrations suddenly stopped for no apparent reason, the user would know that something is wrong with his or her device.

Of course, Apple isn’t a newcomer to touchscreen technology. Just last year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent held by Apple for a “Gesture and touch input detection through force sensing.” The patent failed to offer details on how the technology worked, but experts say it would essentially allow for additional means of input on Apple devices by pressing against the sides of the device. Force sensors would be installed around the sides of the touchscreen. When a user presses against one of these sensors, it would trigger an input.

What do you think of Apple’s new force-sensitive touchscreen?