Next-Generation iPhone to Offer Touch-Sensitive Casing?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/13/next-generation-iphone-to-offer-touch-sensitive-casing/)

In an interesting twist as fourth-generation iPhone rumors begin to gather steam in the new year, Bloomberg cites (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aXBqtMirbD4E&pos=7) Goldman Sachs analyst Robert Chen, who predicts that Apple's next iPhone may take some cues from the company's new multi-touch Magic Mouse and incorporate a touch-sensitive casing in addition to the traditional touchscreen.Magic Mouse, a computer mouse released in October, has a touch-sensitive solid plastic shell that replaces mechanical buttons. The technology may be replicated in the new iPhone to offer touch-sensitive features on the rear of the handset, Chen said.No evidence for Chen's claim is given beyond the citing of an unidentified source, however, and no specific suggestions of how the touch sensitivity might be utilized are offered.

Chen also claims that the new iPhone will make an appearance "as early as June" and will offer a 5-megapixel camera, up from the 3.2-megapixel camera found in the iPhone 3GS. A report (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/12/23/next-generation-iphone-set-to-carry-5-megapixel-camera/) late last month indicated that Apple had in fact placed orders for 5-megapixel camera sensors for the new iPhone, with another claim (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/08/apple-reportedly-looking-to-purchase-led-camera-flash-components/) last week suggesting that Apple is looking to add an LED flash to the iPhone's camera capabilities.

Article Link: Next-Generation iPhone to Offer Touch-Sensitive Casing? (http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/13/next-generation-iphone-to-offer-touch-sensitive-casing/)

[MacDaddy901]

If it covers the whole back of the phone, its going to piss off a lot of case makers.

[Pachang]

maybe you could use your phone as a mouse!
This could be really useful!

no.

[MadMacxxx]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

I highly doubt this and I see virtually no real use for it either. And yes, what about the case companies? Maybe a touch sensative home button, otherwise, it sounds silly.

[flyfish29]

I could see it be the space around the home button- which you might not need anymore where you have lots of space to do muti-touch stuff but not take screen real estate to do that- in fact, center the screen so there is two multi-touch pads on either side to use for gaming or other apps.

[yayitsezekiel]

This could be very cool! I could see it be the space around the home button- which you might not need anymore where you have lots of space to do muti-touch stuff but not take screen real estate to do that- in fact, center the screen so there is two multi-touch pads on either side to use for gaming or other apps.

this i could see, like the palm pre sort of. But on the back, that would just be retarded lol

[flyfish29]

Yeah- my one big grips with using the iPod Touch for a game machine is that I dont' want my fingers/thumbs all over my screen- for some games it is great for (paper toss) but for others (racing or FPS) it stinks!

[combat]

5 MP I can see being useful, could someone explain how multitouch gestures on the back of a phone could be useful at all? I like the idea and the tech, I just don't think it would work on the iPhone.

[Xibalba]

5 MP I can see being useful, could someone explain how multitouch gestures on the back of a phone could be useful at all? I like the idea and the tech, I just don't think it would work on the iPhone.

exactly - i too appreciate the tech, but rear-facing touch gestures would be difficult to manage with one or two hands - can't see this being a legitimate rumor.

always welcome a camera spec bump...

[baslotto]

Maaaaybe for gaming it could be useful (to a certain level).
Otherwise I don't see too much use for a touch case at all...

WAIT A MINUTE!!! Maybe while I'm talking holding the phone I could...
...no... I can't think of anything I could do with it. :D:D

PS: maybe rubbing the phone while I'm using it will make it feel more appreciated...

[Diode]

Other then the awkwardly small shape (which thankfully, because of small hands, I'm growing use to) - I love my magic mouse. One of the best things ever.

[Berio]

5 MP I can see being useful, could someone explain how multitouch gestures on the back of a phone could be useful at all? I like the idea and the tech, I just don't think it would work on the iPhone.


could be good. scroll through lists while holding phone in one hand, index finger controls scrolling on back of iphone, instead of using index finger of other hand on the screen.

it has become tiring that so many actions on the iphone require 2 hands instead of one.

[bedifferent]

5 MP I can see being useful, could someone explain how multitouch gestures on the back of a phone could be useful at all? I like the idea and the tech, I just don't think it would work on the iPhone.

In trying to keep an open mind I could justify utilizing the back surface for touch sensitivity in tasks that require full and uninterrupted use of the front facing screen. However, if there is not way to disengage rear input sensitivity, this may create more problems than it proposes to solve. There have been a few patents from Apple demonstrating utilization of the rear surface of an iPod Touch while watching movies and playing games. Perhaps such technology would be better suited for the rumored tablet, as holding the tablet while invoking rear surface multitouch controls would be more logical for such a form factor.

could be good. scroll through lists while holding phone in one hand, index finger controls scrolling on back of iphone, instead of using index finger of other hand on the screen.

it has become tiring that so many actions on the iphone require 2 hands instead of one.

Using one hand to manipulate the device makes some sense. The index finger of the hand that holds the device allows for scrolling through a list. However, without being able to determine what your finger is selecting may propose difficulties for full functionality, requiring the other hand to select a song or contact, etc.

[flyfish29]

Maaaaybe for gaming it could be useful (to a certain level).
Otherwise I don't see too much use for a touch case at all...

WAIT A MINUTE!!! Maybe while I'm talking holding the phone I could...
...no... I can't think of anything I could do with it. :D:D

PS: maybe rubbing the phone while I'm using it will make it feel more appreciated...

I agree gaming would be useful- triggers, accelerators (like paddles on a steering wheel) for driving games, etc. Perhaps scrolling?


It would make cases odd shaped for sure.

[cmaier]

Adding more degrees of freedom is all good.

[ahuman7341]

I see this being useful as external iPod controls.

[kockgunner]

Many people hold their phones with their index finger pressed to the back of the phone. Maybe stroking up or down can adjust speaker volume during a call, which is easier than pressing the small side buttons during a call.

[geofly]

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Perhaps such technology would be better suited for the rumored tablet, etc.[/QUOTE]

You hit on it there. Why is this not a TABLET rumor rather 4G iPhone? Would work better with the larger form factor. You could see things like a scroll function at the screen edges (instead of flicking through long lists)....?

[eoin3-]

As someone who is very reluctant to use my phone without a case and have pretty much gone exclusively to the otter box for complete protection after breaking the glass...I don't see how this will work. At least for me. If they were to rubberize the corners and they absolutely Must add a WRIST STRAP...I may consider going caseless but only after some serious structural changes...

[mikes70mustang]

By the time the iphone comes out with its 5mp camera, all the other phones will have 8 or 10 mp cameras haha

[Schtumple]

God this would be such a terrible addition, I really hope they don't add this in.

[Berio]

Using one hand to manipulate the device makes some sense. The index finger of the hand that holds the device allows for scrolling through a list. However, without being able to determine what your finger is selecting may propose difficulties for full functionality, requiring the other hand to select a song or contact, etc.

as your index finger moves across a sensitive area of the back of iphone, the list scrolls through a highlighted bar, when you stop scrolling, one song or contact appears selected, you tap the back of iphone, song or contact is activated. no need for second hand.

i have always used my mobile phones to store eg flight details. it's annoying to rush through an airport transit area, looking up flight info on the phone, having to pause, put down bag, and use second hand for scrolling through lists. one hand is all that should be necessary for selecting, info, scrolling pinching and zooming. making the casing touch sensitive would be a great idea, making areas user-definable would be very useful too.

for those who like their phone in a case: you can't have everything. but maybe we'll see new casings made of intelligent materials some day soon?

[GwenGwen]

Come on guys. Think creatively.:cool:

And how would you operate a front facing camera ?

[Berio]

Come on guys. Think creatively.:cool:

And how would you operate a front facing camera ?

sorry, i have no idea,
never thought about front facing camera and its operation,
no idea what we can use front facing camera for, other than as toy for kids who like to make video chat.

[Thex1138]

This rumor smells nothing more than floating an idea in the public/user community... or it's actually going to be on the back of the
10 inch 'MacPad iSlate'.:D
:rolleyes:

[Screwtape]

And how would you operate a front facing camera ?
The same way you operate a rear-facing camera, except the camera faces frontwards....


Anyway, I can't think of a logical application for this. Maybe to replace the volume rocker? But even then, it's nice to have a physical button to push for that.

[ParisParamus]

I have a better idea: a kind of trackpad on the underside of the iPhone/Touch so that one can scroll down big blog discussions without blocking the text on the screen

[Bregalad]

So now I can accidentally perform a whole series of actions on my phone just from the act of trying to hold it. Brilliant!

As others have said, maybe this technology might work for the area by the home button, but otherwise it's going to cause more problems that it could possibly solve.

[Surely]

Come on guys. Think creatively.:cool:

And how would you operate a front facing camera ?

I think that there would have to be two cameras: one front and one rear.




I don't think this is true because the salesguy at AT&T told me that Apple wasn't going to upgrade the iPhone past the 3GS. ;)

[bkea]

I think that there would have to be two cameras: one front and one rear.




I don't think this is true because the salesguy at AT&T told me that Apple wasn't going to upgrade the iPhone past the 3GS. ;)

haha! A sales guy once told me that they hadn't even seen the magic mouse yet...while holding one in his hand:rolleyes:

[ltcol266845]

No freaking way. I must have a case on my iPhone. I guarantee that my iPhone would be broken within 6 months if it couldn't have a case. Neat idea, but better not..

[Berio]

(...) but otherwise it's going to cause more problems that it could possibly solve.

many of you very negative about this idea - why so scared of more possible input??? you are conservative? iphone should remain revolutionary device, perhaps.

i'm sure: if you are dextrous enough to operate an iphone, you'll be able to handle a few more input possibilities, or?

sensitivie casing -> should have option to switch on/off

for me it would be excellent to have parts of the back sensitive.

example; deleting (emails, to-do's, etc); instead of cumbersome swipe on entry itself, we should just tap an area of the iphone's shell, tap again to confirm 'delete'. deleting flood of un-needed emails like this would be much faster than it is now. --> now very uncomfortable with little swipes and confirms with second hand.

example: standing in queue; iphone in one hand, coffee in the other. scrolling through texts, zooming into pictures, etc ---> not comfortable yet.

No freaking way. I must have a case on my iPhone. I guarantee that my iPhone would be broken within 6 months if it couldn't have a case. Neat idea, but better not..

perhaps, instead of rejecting this idea for reason of case, we should demand better cases? made from better materials?

are you opposed strongly to case with cut out areas ?
today the screen, the microphone, etc are all cut-out of the most familiar cases,
two more cut-outs on reverse should not be distressing for you, or?

[acfusion29]

No freaking way. I must have a case on my iPhone. I guarantee that my iPhone would be broken within 6 months if it couldn't have a case. Neat idea, but better not..

It's most likely just going to be controls... perhaps for like the iPod or something like that. Who knows? Regardless, if this rumor is true, these controls will probably be an option.

[Sydde]

For cases: Back will have adjustable (or well-debounced) sensitivity.

Most likely, the posterior controls will be inactive unless you have a thumb on the front of the device as well. That would be the sensible implementation.

[ParisParamus]

So now I can accidentally perform a whole series of actions on my phone just from the act of trying to hold it. Brilliant!

As others have said, maybe this technology might work for the area by the home button, but otherwise it's going to cause more problems that it could possibly solve.


I'm sure this can be worked around: two finger pressure...something.

[ibrainch]

what if this technology is the killer feature on the new tablets. imagine holding the screen of your laptop with two hands on either side. now imagine that your fingers in the back do all of the scrolling and minority report **** (interacting with apps, safari, etc) your thumbs would do most of the stuff on the front (in fact I think i remember seeing some early iphone sketches that had virtual buttons along the side). i think this would definitely be the most comfortable way to interact with the tablet. thoughts?

[TalkAboutApple]

I wouldn't mind the back of the case as a sensor for just scrolling. Imagine a landmine-free web page scrolling experience. (Landmines being all the links on pages that tend to fire off during routine scrolling if you aren't careful)

[ParisParamus]

I think that would be too radical a departure to be the only mode(s) of input, but as an option, quite amazing!

what if this technology is the killer feature on the new tablets. imagine holding the screen of your laptop with two hands on either side. now imagine that your fingers in the back do all of the scrolling and minority report **** (interacting with apps, safari, etc) your thumbs would do most of the stuff on the front (in fact I think i remember seeing some early iphone sketches that had virtual buttons along the side). i think this would definitely be the most comfortable way to interact with the tablet. thoughts?

[cmaier]

I wouldn't mind the back of the case as a sensor for just scrolling. Imagine a landmine-free web page scrolling experience. (Landmines being all the links on pages that tend to fire off during routine scrolling if you aren't careful)

Could also be used to simulate mousedown/mousemove type behavior in websites that rely on moving the mouse without having to first click the button.

[miketcool]

Now you can touch your iPhone ANYWHERE and get it to react to your touch. It'll be just as aroused and turned on as the iPhone user is when they touch their phone. You could stroke it's back, or fumble with the docking port. The iPhone will now react to the secret bedtime caressing that goes on much to the dismay of jealous spouses worldwide. ;)

[Small White Car]

Hmmm...I just can't think of any uses for buttons where my fingers wrap around...just nothing at all...

[ParisParamus]

Could also be used to simulate mousedown/mousemove type behavior in websites that rely on moving the mouse without having to first click the button.

Is there currently a way on the iphone/touch to go to the bottom of a web page without massive "finger action"? a little scroll bar appears when you scroll, but it only seems to be an indicator.

[gibbz]

This was mentioned in a 2007 patent release (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/05/10/apple_filing_reveals_multi_sided_ipod_with_touch_screen_interface.html).

I think this may be in the tablet as well.

http://images.appleinsider.com/patent-070510-1.gif

[firewood]

5 MP I can see being useful, could someone explain how multitouch gestures on the back of a phone could be useful at all?


If there's no front facing camera, then a touch area on back would make it much easier to take self portraits using the current back facing camera. (There's already the nice shiny Apple icon on back that works as a small mirror for aiming.)

Also some sort of optional chord keyboard on back, which wouldn't take up any display area, might be interesting to try. Type away (or maybe something like Palm Graffiti (licensed from Xerox!)) without blocking half the document with an on-screen keyboard.

[greygray]

I doubt the usefulness and credibility of the source. While 5 mp on the iPhone is a given, a touch-sensitive casing? No sense at all . . :rolleyes:

[ParisParamus]

Nice to know great minds think alike! ;-)

This was mentioned in a 2007 patent release (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/05/10/apple_filing_reveals_multi_sided_ipod_with_touch_screen_interface.html).

http://images.appleinsider.com/patent-070510-1.gif

[macduke]

So after reading through the replies to this news story, you guys want me to hold my iPhone with one hand and use my fingers on the back to pinch, scroll through lists, and who knows what else? People are going to be dropping iPhones left and right if that's the case. Except that isn't the case, because there will be no case, but people will need cases in case they drop their iPhone without it's Incase Slider on.

Whew I'm going to bed...

[enil8tr1]

hey a 2" bigger screen, no home button on front, scroll wheel on side. Hey the screens is tiny is my biggest complaint on iphone, touching back helps a little. If small screen doesnt change then its android for me.

[bogosortzomg]

Just because Apple can incorporate this technology doesn't mean that they will...

[Mr. Gates]

I already accidentally dial people when its in my pocket . This is ridiculous.

False

[tknelson]

what if this technology is the killer feature on the new tablets. imagine holding the screen of your laptop with two hands on either side. now imagine that your fingers in the back do all of the scrolling and minority report **** (interacting with apps, safari, etc) your thumbs would do most of the stuff on the front (in fact I think i remember seeing some early iphone sketches that had virtual buttons along the side). i think this would definitely be the most comfortable way to interact with the tablet. thoughts?

Absolutely. I was pondering this in a post about tablet text input speculation:

http://forums.macworld.com/index.php?/topic/121451-apples-mythical-tablet-the-texts-the-thing/page__view__findpost__p__784637

There are so many things you could do with this on the tablet. On the iPhone, not so much, but I could imagine a very limited set of gestures if they can figure out how to eliminate unintended activation while keeping the gestures from getting unnatural.

[Thex1138]

Well if the learning curve is supposed to be steep then this could be the reason...

[budselectjr]

Case makers would never allow this to happen. Kinda like the oil companies killing the electric car.

[Ljohnson72]

Forgot, it's just so hard to scroll, click and zoom with one hand.

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.6; en-us; Archos5 Build/Donut) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1)

Unless we all of a sudden want to see the hardware lineup fragmented, I'd say it's unlikely.

[darbus69]

...a dream come true. I can envision scrolling with the index finger of my left hand while holding my iphone. envision this technology across the Mac platform;man, its a good time to be an addict.

[applesupergeek]

With this level of "analysis" no wonder goldman sachs was bailed out by the taxpayer.

[TheMechanic]

What I don't understand is why so many people are so keen on performing multitouch gestures on the back. At least for me the whole point of multitouch screens is so that I can manipulate objects directly with my fingers without the abstraction that is need when manipulating objects with a mouse or trackpad.

I could only see them adding touch sensitive buttons on the back. Like for gaming controls or maybe a keyboard on the slate. Although I really don't like the idea of typing on the back of a device.

IMO multitouch gestures on the back won't happen.

[thejakill]

do not want.

where is all this "controls on the back" stuff coming from? first the tablet and now the iphone. just keep the controls easy to use. not some clunky thing you have position yourself carefully to use.

[louiek]

PS: maybe rubbing the phone while I'm using it will make it feel more appreciated...

Like a Tamagotchi.

[louiek]

Forgot, it's just so hard to scroll, click and zoom with one hand.

You can zoom with the hand holding the phone? How many fingers do you have? That's actually my only gripe about the iPhone, that you have to pull your other hand out of your poket to zoom. I think it's the Pre that let's you spiral to zoom in and out, that's genius.

[entropys]

Now you can touch your iPhone ANYWHERE and get it to react to your touch. It'll be just as aroused and turned on as the iPhone user is when they touch their phone. You could stroke it's back, or fumble with the docking port. The iPhone will now react to the secret bedtime caressing that goes on much to the dismay of jealous spouses worldwide. ;)

Have you been talking to my wife?

Anyway, this functionality would be no doubt limited to scrolling webpages and the return of the scroll wheel for iPod functions. While the scroll wheel doesn't work on the front, it just might on the back. Case makers would design their cases around that.

[^^ CoolMacLover]

Umm... Do not want?
No.

This would piss me off, no matter how much Id get use to it. Unless you could turn it off, I wouldnt buy it. I also saw a post about using it as a mouse @ that: lol.
and at everyone talking about petting their iphones... :P HAHAHA. :D

I dont think :apple: are that dumb. To do it...

[iMat77]

So basically it will be like having an iPhone with a Magic Mouse on the back? Sorry, but I also don't think it will be a smart idea, unless it is limited to a couple of "points" or it allows Jobs and Ive to get rid of all remaining buttons on the iPhone, which we all know they are allergic to.

Having touch sensitive "sides" of the iPhone might be helpful because it might allow some operations. But a touch sensitive back? There will be basically no way to carry some protection around the iPhone (have a Freitag protective sleeve and love it). As for a 5 MPX camera. There will have to be a flash, and personally I don't need more than the current 3.2 mpx since when I'm in for serious shooting I have a dSLR. Speaking of which one thought comes to mind... WHERE IS MY APERTURE 3.0??
Sorry for the off-topic rant. But this is getting ridiculous.

[SandynJosh]

In trying to keep an open mind I could justify utilizing the back surface for touch sensitivity in tasks that require full and uninterrupted use of the front facing screen. However, if there is not way to disengage rear input sensitivity, this may create more problems than it proposes to solve. There have been a few patents from Apple demonstrating utilization of the rear surface of an iPod Touch while watching movies and playing games. Perhaps such technology would be better suited for the rumored tablet, as holding the tablet while invoking rear surface multitouch controls would be more logical for such a form factor.

Perhaps there will be a melding of the iPhone, Touch and Tablet's OS to the point where app developers can use the common sensitivities of the devices across all three products to build apps that can do things we cannot currently imagine.

[Cepe Indicum]

... I actually think this sounds like a good idea :o

Perhaps not complicated, multi-touch gestures, but IMO a touch sensitive back / casing / basel would be great in a number of circumstances. For example:

Gaming -- I like playing games on my iPhone (and I'm sure the iPod touch is the same), but having some controls on-screen can be distracting. A specific example is Doom (sorry - child of the 90s!). Instead of having the trigger / 'fire' button on screen, a touch sensitive back could act as a trigger and the directional pad could be invisibly built into the front bezel... It would take some getting used to, sure, but it would leave the whole screen clear.

Phone -- The iPhone can already detect when it is being held to your ear thanks to the proximity sensor. At the moment, this switches off the screen and touch functions. What if it also activated the back touch sensors... Tap to increase volume; double tap to decrease; double tap and hold for mute... you get what I'm saying.

I'm not sure whether or not these claims are true, obviously. But to me, it sounds like Apple has only just started when it comes to innovating the way we interact with phones / computers / slates, and that can only be a good thing. :)

[deputylove8]

:eek:hahahaah..june??i received my 3GS as a gift in january. Haha.
Hey, bring it on apple!

[Truffy]

It's got multi-touch

It's got iPhone

It's got 5MP and LED

Who cares what it's for, it's got SEX written all over it

[Truffy]

...time for a cold shower :rolleyes:

[iMJustAGuy]

Maaaaybe for gaming it could be useful (to a certain level).
Otherwise I don't see too much use for a touch case at all...

WAIT A MINUTE!!! Maybe while I'm talking holding the phone I could...
...no... I can't think of anything I could do with it. :D:D

PS: maybe rubbing the phone while I'm using it will make it feel more appreciated...

:D:D:D:D

I laughed out loud... hahahaa. :p

^no sarcasm

[t0mat0]

There's a patent for that.

Touch sensitive casing? It's already been discussed a while back when an Apple patent came out. Could work with iPhone, Touch and Tablet (And also ACDs, MacBooks....)

Will go find it, but it's definitely surfaced. This isn't rocket science. The problem is covers - most covers cover the edges, and only allow finger access to the screen, not the bezel.

Thought another way - WOW!
The handset will feature a new plastic casing similar to that used for Apple’s touch-panel Magic Mouse released last year, he said.

A Tablet/iPhone running OS 4 which can take inputs from touches from the shell would be big enough to go get another cover...
Apple could also use it so it detects fingers that are *just close by*.... hence work through the cover, and not use inductance?

[greygray]

I already accidentally dial people when its in my pocket . This is ridiculous.

False

Ugh really? How is that possible? The iPhone only responds to skin touches. And unless you leave it on, you'll need to slide to unlock anyway. Do you even own an iPhone?

[Padraig]

Hmmm...I just can't think of any uses for buttons where my fingers wrap around...just nothing at all...

Buttons - offering tactile feedback and not requiring line of sight - being the important word there.

[deputylove8]

all i want is a matt back..hahaha..so I can say bye bye to all my finger print marks:D

[t0mat0]

Isn't just touch sensitivity covered - the patent covers Pressure sensitivity also

[belltree]

No oleophobic coating please! I prefer to wipe it myself than have nano-size particles in a coating thanks.

[Belly-laughs]

Many people hold their phones with their index finger pressed to the back of the phone. Maybe stroking up or down can adjust speaker volume during a call, which is easier than pressing the small side buttons during a call.

It would be better if you could speed up or slow down a conversation.

[Journojulz]

Can we declare a moritorium on spiralling camera sizes?

For one reason you are limited by the optics, there is only so much info you can get through a piece of glass the size of a lentil in an unsupported handheld device.

But mostly its about wasting data. I remember when a desktop sized jpeg was no more than 100kb. How often do we actually print out a photo larger than A4 at 100dpi?

If the phone is going to be running up 3mb files every click it might be a good idea to have compression software that automatically knocks a decimal point or two off pictures when you want to email or mms them.

There is no point complaining the airwaves are congested when throwaway snaps are being zipped across the ether at 1,000-10,000% acceptable quality.

[Truffy]

No oleophobic coating please! I prefer to wipe it myself than have nano-size particles in a coating thanks.
Why? You can't see them, can you?

[dernhelm]

5 MP I can see being useful, could someone explain how multitouch gestures on the back of a phone could be useful at all? I like the idea and the tech, I just don't think it would work on the iPhone.

That's right, go and bring common sense into and you'll ruin this for us all.
:p

[Compile 'em all]

Too confusing. Not gonna happen.

[Abstract]

I didn't read this entire thread, so forgive me if I say something that has already been mentioned.

Wouldn't it make more sense to make the side or top-edge touch sensitive, or perhaps the top 1/3rd of the back casing to allow for 2-finger scroll?

Making the entire back of the case touch-sensitive would be rather useless, IMO. More power consumed, and yet most of that power would go towards ignoring unintentional taps and swipes on the back casing. :o

[tatonka]

Yeah right. I just tried to do only a scrolling motion on the back. Instant finger cramp. Can't even imagine multiple fingers (probably will drop the phone when pinching)

sorry I don't buy it

Tim

[Journojulz]

"Chapter 12

A loud clatter of gunk music flooded through the Heart of Gold cabin as Zaphod searched the sub-etha radio wavebands for news of himself.

The machine was rather difficult to operate.

For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as the technology became more sophisticated the controls were made touch-sensitive — you merely had to brush the panels with your fingers; now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope.

It saved a lot of muscular expenditure of course, but meant that you had to sit infuriatingly still"

DNA - UK :apple: fan #1

[MikeELL]

Several things seem obvious to me - I may be wrong but we'll see:

-The tablet will have a new UI.
-Elements of that new UI will filter down to the next gen iPhone.
-Apple Patents have have depicted some kind of 3d-ness to the new "mobile" UI
-Given 3d-ness, it would be intuitive to be able to manipulate things in the foreground or background by touching either the front touchscreen or the back touch-sensitive case.
-Both the tablet and the iPhone (+ iPod Touch) would need a touch-sensitive back surface to use this UI.

Ironically enough, all those people that didn't want the tablet to have the same UI as the iphone will be wrong - but only because it won't be the current iPhone UI.

Make sense?

[Journojulz]

P.S. I DO have confidence that whatever is good enough for Jobs will actually WORK.....

(drawing a discreet veil over the iMac circular mouse....:D. 'Everyone gets one')

[rablat]

maybe you could use your phone as a mouse!
This could be really useful!

no.

There's an app for that.

[Thex1138]

Will the touch sensitive casing be burnt by the sun when used as GPS with Tomtom or other?
The precious gets pretty hot on the dash board during the day and I fear for the precious.

[Journojulz]

There's an app for that.

:confused:

:apple: Mobile Air Mouse :apple:

:)

:mad:

:apple:

:eek:

:D

:cool:

[Snowcat001]

I can definitely see this work on an iSlate because it's bigger.
You can use thumb-typing for like 10 or 12 letters and your other fingers at the back for the rest of the alphabet. Once used to it I think you could actually type VERY fast like that.


But on an iPhone.... the only purpose in my eyes is gaming controls or app controls, not typing...

[tknelson]

What I don't understand is why so many people are so keen on performing multitouch gestures on the back. At least for me the whole point of multitouch screens is so that I can manipulate objects directly with my fingers without the abstraction that is need when manipulating objects with a mouse or trackpad.

I could only see them adding touch sensitive buttons on the back. Like for gaming controls or maybe a keyboard on the slate. Although I really don't like the idea of typing on the back of a device.

IMO multitouch gestures on the back won't happen.

Yes, but manipulating an object from underneath is not terribly more abstract than manipulating it from above.

On the phone, I think the usefulness is limited. However, I think another poster makes a good point about the possibility that the OS developed for the slate could naturally carry over this element to the iPhone. Just look at what happened with multi-touch already: after starting on the iPhone/touch it made it's way into the laptop trackpads and finally the desktops via the magic mouse. Clearly Apple believes that this is the way things should go.

Keeping your fingers off the front for many things (oleophobic coating or not) is nice. On the tablet, it will be even more important. Can you imagine what a smudge magnet a 10" iPhone would be?

As for the keyboard on the back: if the keyboard display on the front is laid out like regular qwerty (not split) and can cleverly show you where your fingers are hitting the "keys", I bet you would adapt very quickly to such a mild perceptual distortion (hands rotated and reversed relative to on-screen keyboard display).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptual_adaptation (pretty weak entry, but you get the idea of how extreme an adaptation can be accommodated.)

Steep learning curve, indeed, but once you were adapted, I think you would type as quickly as on a real keyboard.

As for the guy that said the case manufacturers would never allow it: I'll assume that is sarcasm. Apple has not generally been afraid to screw third party providers when it serves their agenda.

[Snowcat001]

No oleophobic coating please! I prefer to wipe it myself than have nano-size particles in a coating thanks.

Afraid of nanotechnology?

[djpic]

The phone cover people are not going to like that....shoot, I am not going to like that. I rather see the touch senstive areas like described on the new tablet than the iPhone.

I predict that the new iPhone will RECORD HD video. That would be a first for any phone on the market and will blow people away. No one seems to be expecting that.

[G77]

The phone cover people are not going to like that....shoot, I am not going to like that. I rather see the touch senstive areas like described on the new tablet than the iPhone.

I predict that the new iPhone will RECORD HD video. That would be a first for any phone on the market and will blow people away. No one seems to be expecting that.

Yeah its very likely it will record 720p video (definitely not 1080) but wouldnt be first in it.... Samsung i8910 is able to do that for a long time...

[pmz]

could be good. scroll through lists while holding phone in one hand, index finger controls scrolling on back of iphone, instead of using index finger of other hand on the screen.

it has become tiring that so many actions on the iphone require 2 hands instead of one.

In trying to keep an open mind I could justify utilizing the back surface for touch sensitivity in tasks that require full and uninterrupted use of the front facing screen. However, if there is not way to disengage rear input sensitivity, this may create more problems than it proposes to solve. There have been a few patents from Apple demonstrating utilization of the rear surface of an iPod Touch while watching movies and playing games. Perhaps such technology would be better suited for the rumored tablet, as holding the tablet while invoking rear surface multitouch controls would be more logical for such a form factor.



Using one hand to manipulate the device makes some sense. The index finger of the hand that holds the device allows for scrolling through a list. However, without being able to determine what your finger is selecting may propose difficulties for full functionality, requiring the other hand to select a song or contact, etc.

I see this being useful as external iPod controls.

These are examples of people trying to justify (what would be) an asinine decision by Apple, because of a rumor that indicates it's possible.

God this would be such a terrible addition, I really hope they don't add this in.

This is someone who sees how stupid it is, and is able to reject it as the nonsense that it is. Why can't more people be rational instead of trying to justify retardation?

[E.Lizardo]

I remember seeing a patent of theirs a few years ago using touch gestures on the back of a device.Sounds interesting.Rather than predict it sucks and be shown how limited my imagination is,I'd be interested to see what they could do with it.

[Journojulz]

Why can't more people be rational instead of trying to justify retardation?

Because a certain Cupertino company has a habit of bringing us features that we didn't even knew we wanted.

I have faith (rooted in past experience) that what is delivered will work better than I anticipated.

In short - it will WORK.

(And I would be wary about the context of using the word retardation, especially when describing what you consider excessive advancement)

[E.Lizardo]

These are examples of people trying to justify (what would be) an asinine decision by Apple, because of a rumor that indicates it's possible.



This is someone who sees how stupid it is, and is able to reject it as the nonsense that it is. Why can't more people be rational instead of trying to justify retardation?

Goodness gracious!Such anger!A bit of advice:NEVER predict an Apple idea is retarded.You will be wrong at least 95% of the time.

[Journojulz]

at least 95% of the time.

Yeah - What WAS it with the round imac mouse?

Was Jobs high? :p

[generationxwing]

I hope it's scratch-proof cause my iPhone always goes in a case.

[geofly]

Several things seem obvious to me - I may be wrong but we'll see:

-The tablet will have a new UI.
-Elements of that new UI will filter down to the next gen iPhone.
-Apple Patents have have depicted some kind of 3d-ness to the new "mobile" UI
-Given 3d-ness, it would be intuitive to be able to manipulate things in the foreground or background by touching either the front touchscreen or the back touch-sensitive case.



I like this thinking....

[Small White Car]

Buttons - offering tactile feedback and not requiring line of sight - being the important word there.

Line of sight?

You couldn't tell the difference between "right side of phone" and "left side of phone?"

Haven't you ever used a Mighty Mouse?

[*LTD*]

No oleophobic coating please! I prefer to wipe it myself than have nano-size particles in a coating thanks.

They aren't Borg nanoprobes, y'know. ;)


Several things seem obvious to me - I may be wrong but we'll see:

-The tablet will have a new UI.
-Elements of that new UI will filter down to the next gen iPhone.
-Apple Patents have have depicted some kind of 3d-ness to the new "mobile" UI
-Given 3d-ness, it would be intuitive to be able to manipulate things in the foreground or background by touching either the front touchscreen or the back touch-sensitive case.
-Both the tablet and the iPhone (+ iPod Touch) would need a touch-sensitive back surface to use this UI.

Ironically enough, all those people that didn't want the tablet to have the same UI as the iphone will be wrong - but only because it won't be the current iPhone UI.

Make sense?

Sensible predictions, as far as any predictions about the tablet can be sensible.

[roar08]

This has to be one of the most ridiculous predictions *ever* for any Apple device. The rest of this "analyst's" comments are pieces of information that are otherwise well-known or well-rumored. So many of these assclowns should just be fired, starting with this one. Seriously, what a FREAKING moron.

[mdurwin]

I wouldn't trust anything some jackass from Goldman Sacks. They lie, they cheat, they steal. Everyone that works at Goldman Sacks should be round up and tried for treason.

[Rocketman]

Goldman Sachs analyst Robert Chen, who predicts that Apple's next iPhone may take some cues from the company's new multi-touch Magic Mouse and incorporate a touch-sensitive casing in addition to the traditional touchscreen.No evidence for Chen's claim is given beyond the citing of an unidentified source, however, and no specific suggestions of how the touch sensitivity might be utilized are offered

Unidentified source:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=9066845&postcount=188

1-10-10. This took 4 days.

I want 30% of his research fee.

Rocketman

[belltree]

Afraid of nanotechnology?

Very much so when it comes to direct contact with skin as there is no data on the long term effects of exposure to such materials. I find it amazing that no one really cares to give it a thought... "it's sold to me in a box so it must be safe!". Either way, it will be interesting to see what the long term effects, if any, there may be.

[Mr. Gates]

Ugh really? How is that possible? The iPhone only responds to skin touches. And unless you leave it on, you'll need to slide to unlock anyway. Do you even own an iPhone?

Yes I do, 3GS 32 gig Black. It happens when I am done with a call, forget to lock the thing, and put it in my pocket, or leave it in my hand and not see what I am doing. You have probably done it too if you have any favorites.

[Journojulz]

I would be more worried about all the wi-fi, bluetooth, microwave and other electromagnetic pollution we are burying ourselves in.

Haven't you SEEN Johnny Mmemonic? :eek:

[RandomGuy26]

could be good. scroll through lists while holding phone in one hand, index finger controls scrolling on back of iphone, instead of using index finger of other hand on the screen.

it has become tiring that so many actions on the iphone require 2 hands instead of one.

do sony phones still have those wheels for scrolling ? those are much easier than a back casing to scroll.. although, i would still love to see it

[PaulSorensen]

Chen also claims that the new iPhone will make an appearance "as early as June"

Let's see (according to Wikipedia):

Original iPhone release: June 29, 2007
iPhone 3G release: July 11, 2008
iPhone 3GS release: June 19, 2009

"as early as June" doesn't really seem like news to me.

[outaru]

If it covers the whole back of the phone, its going to piss off a lot of case makers.

I think they will come up with a solution.
How bout making the back of each and every iphone case paper thin?

[bedifferent]

Yes I do, 3GS 32 gig Black. It happens when I am done with a call, forget to lock the thing, and put it in my pocket, or leave it in my hand and not see what I am doing. You have probably done it too if you have any favorites.

Which is why I always make certain to lock the device before I place it in my pocket or bag.

[bedifferent]

These are examples of people trying to justify (what would be) an asinine decision by Apple, because of a rumor that indicates it's possible.



This is someone who sees how stupid it is, and is able to reject it as the nonsense that it is. Why can't more people be rational instead of trying to justify retardation?

Excuse me??? First, I never stated I agreed with the idea. If you followed my train of thought you would have most certainly came to the intelligent conclusion that I merely commented on the proposal's positives AND negatives. There was no agreement any where.

Further, who are you to state such an insult? If creativity is repressed there would be no idea's to propose and work through. As Thomas Edison once stated regarding his invention of the light bulb, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Without the prospect of failure, success will never be achieved. Certainly Apple failed numerous times at producing the iPhone, this much most MacRumors readers know. However it took just ONE instance of all those failures to produce a successful product.

In short, don't ridicule those who have enough courage to propose their ideas. It is because of people such as them that we are technologically where we are today. I hope you learned something.

[bedifferent]

I wouldn't trust anything some jackass from Goldman Sacks. They lie, they cheat, they steal. Everyone that works at Goldman Sacks should be round up and tried for treason.

One of the more intelligent things I have read today :)

[lamar777]

Until someone can explain how Apple could justify dissing every case mfg. and teling every customer who wants a case that they can psss off, will I consider this rumor further.

Then somebody will have to explain to me how the touch sensitive back is going to stand up to the abuse that it most certainly will receive (no case remember).

There are a ton of reasonable implementation ideas for this tech but I cant wrap my head around this one.

[cmaier]

Until someone can explain how Apple could justify dissing every case mfg. and teling every customer who wants a case that they can psss off, will I consider this rumor further.

Then somebody will have to explain to me how the touch sensitive back is going to stand up to the abuse that it most certainly will receive (no case remember).

There are a ton of reasonable implementation ideas for this tech but I cant wrap my head around this one.

Apple doesn't give a crap about the case manufacturers.

[staffansolve]

A small Swedish phone maker, Spectronic http://www.spectronic.se/english_new/default.asp , has used a similar technology for several years. When Apple released the iPhone 2007, there were some news about Apple holding patents on such technology - can't find the reference now.

[MacFly123]

sorry, i have no idea,
never thought about front facing camera and its operation,
no idea what we can use front facing camera for, other than as toy for kids who like to make video chat.

You ever heard of iChat or video conferencing? :confused: It also solves the problem of not having a physical button for the camera as you could use the front camera to snap self-pics etc. It will happen eventually trust me! I think when we get LTE it will happen, but probably on the iSlate first!

[Pythagoras1]

...because you could control games, etc, using your fingers on the back of the iPhone without obscuring the screen.

See stories and videos here and here:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16295-fat-fingers-no-problem-with-seethrough-touchscreen-.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12773-transparent-gadget-could-trump-iphone-interface.html

Be interesting to check who owns these technologies now.

[rtdunham]

...Robert Chen, who predicts that Apple's next iPhone may...incorporate a touch-sensitive casing...

That would abruptly deflate the huge market for 3rd party protective and/or decorative cases.

Chen also claims that the new iPhone...will offer a 5-megapixel camera, up from the 3.2-megapixel camera found in the iPhone 3GS...

does anyone know the sensor sizes of the two cameras? surely the existing sensor size was determined in one of the take-aparts done after the 3GS appeared. I'd like to know whether they're just wringing out more MP from the same-size sensor, or putting in a bigger sensor.

[Concorde Rules]

If they do then im not getting it.

The day I loose functionality because I want to protect my £500 phone is the day they loose my money.

Stupid idea.

[fef714]

Am I the only one who thinks that any iPhone case would be rendered useless?

That is utter and complete bull.


Although needing a source to tell you it will be released around June, is like needing a source to tell you that Easter will be happening 'sometime in April'.



Honestly people, I can tell you every Apple event this year:

Late Jan- Minor update to macbook pros
Tablet (?)

Late June- New iPhone
New iPhone OS 4.0

Sept- Refresh iPod line

Oct- Minor update to iMacs/minis/macbooks


More minor silent updates tossed in throughout the year.

[powers74]

I could see it be the space around the home button- which you might not need anymore where you have lots of space to do muti-touch stuff but not take screen real estate to do that- in fact, center the screen so there is two multi-touch pads on either side to use for gaming or other apps.

Now this makes a lot of sense.

[MattInOz]

Until someone can explain how Apple could justify dissing every case mfg. and teling every customer who wants a case that they can psss off, will I consider this rumor further.

Then somebody will have to explain to me how the touch sensitive back is going to stand up to the abuse that it most certainly will receive (no case remember).

There are a ton of reasonable implementation ideas for this tech but I cant wrap my head around this one.

Well seeing as this would be a new feature of a new model, then the case makers would have to produce new cases for those models regardless. if it's the same style of sensor as the screen ones then as long as the case material isn't to thick the sensor should still work.

[t0mat0]

Case makers would never allow this to happen. Kinda like the oil companies killing the electric car.

I'd imagine. They'd be mighty annoyed for millions of people wanting new cases ;) (And they must be devastated about the prospect of cases for the iSlate also).

[spydr]

good way to piss all the case manufacturers for sure...

[Journojulz]

The case manufacturers are little more than benign parasites, they make money of someone else's success through replication instead of innovation and give nothing back.

Don't think they are considered in the :apple: decision process.

[mohillips]

maybe you could use your phone as a mouse!
This could be really useful!

no.

You can use your iphone as a mouse already!

[mohillips]

I think it's a great idea to make the back of the iPhone the same as the top of the magic mouse.

Imagine looking at your screen and navigating with your finger on the reverse!

Makes perfect sense to me. A lot comfier than using your thumb or 2 hands