Force Touch for iPhone expected to bring about most significant change yet to iOS user interface

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  • Reply 41 of 75
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member

    Perhaps someone who has investigated Force Touch in detail can answer this... It appears that Force Touch is really simply sensing a finger press being flatter on the multi-touch surface, which is then interpreted as a greater amount of pressure applied, since there is no actual vertical pressure actuator at work here. Does this seem like a reasonable assumption? But what about a person with a very fat finger? Every touch could conceivably be interpreted as a Force Touch...

  • Reply 42 of 75
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,054member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cgs268 View Post



    Perhaps with the introduction of Force Touch they can get rid of the Home button??

    What's up with the Home button that people're anal about? I don't see any issue with it. It's actually separated iPhone design from the rest. Home button with Touch ID is here to stay. Why change something that works so well?

  • Reply 43 of 75
    cgs268cgs268 Posts: 55member



    it takes up so much space... 

  • Reply 44 of 75
    fallenjt wrote: »
    Kuo's speculation is just like what we predicted so far in this forum except the name iPhone 7 which is unlikely. 5 to 5S was also significant change with the TouchID. My gut feeling tells me that Force Touch may not be in this year refresh but next year.

    I can't see Apple holding off on anything that would cause the Android platform great pain like Force Touch will. Once Apple tries out something on one product they usually bring the rest up to date on the next refresh. Later this month the ?Watch and the new MB with Force Touch will be on the market, and Force Touch will be on everyone's lips, Before the product refreshes hit this fall, and in between at WWDC Apple has a chance to beat the drum on Force Touch...
  • Reply 45 of 75
    freediverxfreediverx Posts: 1,423member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cgs268 View Post



    Perhaps with the introduction of Force Touch they can get rid of the Home button??

     

    I doubt it, for three reasons.

     

    1) The lack of a discreet, tactile home button would make it tricky to incorporate Touch ID.

     

    2) It would make it harder for users to figure out where to place their finger on the screen without looking at it.

     

    3) If the entire display acted as a home button, the phone would easily wake unintentionally when carried in a pocket.

  • Reply 46 of 75
    freediverxfreediverx Posts: 1,423member
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  • Reply 47 of 75
    freediverx wrote: »
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    Succinct and to the point. You're spot on!
  • Reply 48 of 75
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,054member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Macky the Macky View Post





    I can't see Apple holding off on anything that would cause the Android platform great pain like Force Touch will. Once Apple tries out something on one product they usually bring the rest up to date on the next refresh. Later this month the ?Watch and the new MB with Force Touch will be on the market, and Force Touch will be on everyone's lips, Before the product refreshes hit this fall, and in between at WWDC Apple has a chance to beat the drum on Force Touch...

    I hope you're right on this so new iPhone owners can enjoy the device. In the past, the Touch ID already shocked Android device manufacturers and up to now, no one even comes up with something similar that works well. 

    Now, if this Force Touch makes way to iPhone then iPad, I don't see any android device will have any chance to catch up unless it has to copy the feature.

  • Reply 49 of 75
    mechanicmechanic Posts: 805member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fallenjt View Post



    Kuo's speculation is just like what we predicted so far in this forum except the name iPhone 7 which is unlikely. 5 to 5S was also significant change with the TouchID. My gut feeling tells me that Force Touch may not be in this year refresh but next year.



    Don't forget too that the 5s had the A7 as well the first 64 bit mobile processor and also the first 64 mobile iOS.  Those were major updates as well.

  • Reply 50 of 75
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by freediverx View Post

     

     

    I doubt it, for three reasons.

     

    1) The lack of a discreet, tactile home button would make it tricky to incorporate Touch ID.

     

    2) It would make it harder for users to figure out where to place their finger on the screen without looking at it.

     

    3) If the entire display acted as a home button, the phone would easily wake unintentionally when carried in a pocket.




    Also, without some kind of tactile method of orienting the phone, people would constantly answer the phone upside-down.

  • Reply 51 of 75
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post

     

    Also, without some kind of tactile method of orienting the phone, people would constantly answer the phone upside-down.




    Just make sure the Samsung logo is pointing up. /s

  • Reply 52 of 75
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,054member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mechanic View Post

     



    Don't forget too that the 5s had the A7 as well the first 64 bit mobile processor and also the first 64 mobile iOS.  Those were major updates as well.


    True. Touch ID and 64-bit chip were huge and Apple still called it 5S. I don't think with Force Touch and A9 chip, they will break that pattern. 

    Usually for the phone, "S" is more on features "Speed", faster smoother while "non-S" is for new design. Well "C" stands for Children with vivid colors...lol.

  • Reply 53 of 75
    I think it makes a lot of sense to brand the fall iPhone "iPhone 7". If they were going to put the 5S internals in a plastic shell, like they did with the iPhone 5 internals when iPhone 5S came out, then they would have already done it when the iPhone 6 came out. I think iPhone 5SC would just make even less sense 1 year after the iPhone 6.

    An iPhone 7 with force touch, and an iPhone 6C with '6' internals in a plastic shell makes sense, to me.

    I also think some kind of 4" screen phone with 5S components could stick around for a while, they kept making the iPhone 4 for a while for tertiary markets. I wouldn't expect many leaks for information though since there are will be few unknown parts in circulation.
  • Reply 54 of 75
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post

     

     

    But the iPad Air 2 has basically the same shell as the iPad Air and the mini 3 looks exactly like the mini 2.




    While that is correct, iPad has never had an "s" series. the iPad 2, 3, 4, iPad Mini, Mini 2, and Mini 3, were largely unchanged in body style. So while it's a change of pace for Apple to call it the iPhone 7, it wouldn't be that crazy. It is, after all, just a name. 

  • Reply 55 of 75
    Something like a version of the iPhone's TouchID for the notebook? Sounds really interesting, although I'm using a rather old MBP - the one from 2011! ????
  • Reply 56 of 75
    I'd be more excited about a true 3D screen or a wrap-around screen, but Force Touch on the next iPhone would be significant.
  • Reply 57 of 75
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post

     

    Perhaps someone who has investigated Force Touch in detail can answer this... It appears that Force Touch is really simply sensing a finger press being flatter on the multi-touch surface, which is then interpreted as a greater amount of pressure applied, since there is no actual vertical pressure actuator at work here. Does this seem like a reasonable assumption? But what about a person with a very fat finger? Every touch could conceivably be interpreted as a Force Touch...




    I would imagine that if there is no actual physical deformation of the screen, that the hard press would be triggered by a relative increase in surface area of each finger press, also accounting for the timing. For instance, if all that is detected is a brief surface area input that doesn't increase in surface area significantly, this will be read as a simple touch. But if that surface area increases significantly in a short t duration, this will be read as a force touch. I don't know enough about the technology to say this is reliable, but it certainly is plausible.

     

    As for the name change, I don't think Apple will change the base number of the iPhone unless there is a significant change in the design, which I feel is can be described as a change that obsoletes current case designs. If there is no change to the case design and functionality, there will be no name change, but if there is, for instance if Apple employs a dual lens system for the iPhone camera, than a name change may be warranted. 

     

    I think initially that Apple kept the same case design for two years at a time so that there would be a healthy peripheral ecosystem to support the iPhone. However, the iPhone is now so popular that Apple doesn't need to do this anymore if it doesn't want to, and Apple can make subtle or overt design changes to the casing without jeopardizing a robust ecosystem of peripherals. I think Apple will name the next iPhone 6s, but it could easily name it the iPhone 9, or whatever makes sense to them.

  • Reply 58 of 75

    Also, without some kind of tactile method of orienting the phone, people would constantly answer the phone upside-down.

    Mic and earpiece both on both sides, activated by accelerometer?
  • Reply 59 of 75
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post

     



    Also, without some kind of tactile method of orienting the phone, people would constantly answer the phone upside-down.


    Since you have to touch the screen to answer the phone, and the incoming calll screen only ever shows in the correct orientation (IIRC), I don't think this is all that much of a problem.

  • Reply 60 of 75
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post



    Apple is not very consistent with it's naming scheme, but it doesn't skip numbers. Right, Windows 9 10?

    They skipped iPhone 3.

     

    I don't think numerical consistency means all that much to Apple or Microsoft.  It's just marketing.

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