Apple component orders again hint that Force Touch is coming to iPhone 6s

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The Force Touch trackpad as seen in the recent MacBook.
The Force Touch trackpad as seen in the recent MacBook.
Photo: Apple

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

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