More and more evidence is racking up that Apple will introduce its Force Touch technology — previously seen in the Apple Watch and recent MacBook models — as a chief feature for the upcoming iPhone 6s.
According to a new report citing industry sources, Apple has upped its orders for the flexible printed circuit boards necessary for incorporating Force Touch into its next-gen iPhones — with its main FPCB suppliers being Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect.
Established KGI Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously suggested that Force Touch will be slightly different in the iPhone 6s compared to the Apple Watch or MacBook. Instead of detecting pressure from users’ fingers, Kuo has written that the iPhone’s Force Touch tech will monitor “the contact area on which the finger touches the screen to decide how big the pressure is.”
This difference is said to be reflected in the price Apple is paying for its iPhone 6s Force Touch sensors, which reportedly carry a price tag of $13-$14 each — or around 2.5 times more expensive than the $4-$5 Force Touch sensors used in the Apple Watch.
Initially Apple was said to be considering including Force Touch as an iPhone 6s Plus exclusive (a decision which makes very little sense), although it apparently later changed its mind.
Check out this post for everything else we’re expecting to see in September’s iPhone upgrade.
Source: Digitimes
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
4 responses to “Apple component orders again hint that Force Touch is coming to iPhone 6s”
Am I the only one not excited by force touch?
Not at all.
I don’t think you’re excited because you don’t understand what it means and how it will be used going forward. Force touch will eliminate the need for the home button utility and will allow users to access functions deep within apps and the OS in general making many of the primitive gestures such as double/triple click and swiping obsolete.
I’m one who actually wants the button to click. I like physical buttons to press.. I’d rather not use any type of force gestures on a touch screen.