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Apple Working on Scalable 3D Touch Technology for Future iPads and iPhones

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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple is working on next-generation pressure-sensing display technology that will work on screen sizes as large as the iPad Pro, reports AppleInsider citing a source with knowledge of Apple's plans. The new display technology is said to be in development, but it won't be finished in time for inclusion in the third-generation iPad Air or the next-generation iPhone.

ipad-pro-800x395.jpg
According to a source familiar with the matter, Apple is unable to scale existing 3D Touch technology to accommodate larger displays like the 9.7-inch panels used in the iPad Air line. The source, who has in the past provided accurate information about Apple's future plans, said the company is working on a comparable technology for integration in both iPhones and iPads, potentially offering support for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Apple's largest iOS device.
Click to expand...
AppleInsider's information comes following a similar report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said the next iPad Air, set to be released in the first half of 2016, will not include 3D Touch because of production issues. Kuo also said the upcoming iPhone 7, coming in the fall of 2016, will continue to use 3D Touch technology that's similar in structure to the 3D Touch in the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus.

Positioned as one of the flagship features of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, 3D Touch adds new pressure-based gestures to iOS devices. Apple has called 3D Touch "the future of multi-touch," so it's a logical assumption that the company is working on expanding pressure sensitive touch gestures to its entire iOS lineup.

Taken in tandem, Kuo's statements along with AppleInsider's rumor suggest 3D Touch or a comparable technology will not be available on iPhones and iPads until after the fall of 2016, perhaps pointing towards a 2017 debut for the feature.

Article Link: Apple Working on Scalable 3D Touch Technology for Future iPads and iPhones
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/12/15/apple-scalable-3d-touch-tech-future-devices/
Lostanddamned

Lostanddamned

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May 3, 2009
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I wonder if this relates to the slight display warping when the iPad Air 2 is held in the middle? If you are causing an outwards pressure just by holding the device, that’s going to leave for false positives…
 
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stulaw11

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Jan 25, 2012
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Im not sure how functional 3D touch would be in it's current form- not literal function in the OS, but usage scenarios. When you have the ipad on a stand, like say the smart cover, and you push hard to 3D Touch is the device going to topple over being so large?

You''re going to have a bunch of unhappy people who break their devices that way.

There are a few things I think they need to solve before putting it on bigger devices with usage. I wasnt expecting 3D Touch this round of iPads

I think it will be an A9x device with 2-3gb of RAM, the quicker Touch Id on the S iPhone line, maybe slightly better resolution on the display, and rudimentary support for the Apple pencil. I dont think they will put in the pressure sensitive Pro type display to switch to 3D Touch next year; unless you can use 3D Touch on the current Pro type display they are using for the pen too. If they are the same type of pressure sensitive screen then it's more likely to start seeing that display phased in now.
 
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manu chao

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Jul 30, 2003
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DTphonehome said:
You've got to wonder what the "gee whiz" feature of the iPad Air 3 will be, then. Just a faster processor? That would be a weak update.
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What was the "gee whiz" feature of the iPad Air 2? It added TouchID but TouchID wasn't something new anymore, the iPhone had gotten it the year before. It's quite likely that support for the Apple Pencil is added to the 9.7" iPad in its next release.
 
StoneJack

StoneJack

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Dec 19, 2009
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I think its a time Apple fork the iPad OS and begin its own development. It may not include 3D touch, but something else iPad-unique to utilize its bigger displays more effectively
 
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zachlegomaniac

zachlegomaniac

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Sep 20, 2008
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Kind of seems like it wouldn't be a bad time to cash in on one of those large holiday sales for an iPad Air 2 (if you're in the market).
 
TMRJIJ

TMRJIJ

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Dec 12, 2011
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manu chao said:
What was the "gee whiz" feature of the iPad Air 2? It added TouchID but TouchID wasn't something new anymore, the iPhone had gotten it the year before. It's quite likely that support for the Apple Pencil is added to the 9.7" iPad in its next release.
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Are you serious? It was the show stopper of last years event. Its power was unprecedent for an iPad. No top of that we assume from these specs that this model was waiting on some excellent multitasking features in the iOS 9 which of course was true. It is the new iPad 2 of all iPads; something that people will probably keep for a while.
 
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magbarn

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Oct 25, 2008
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I don't care about 3D touch! Bring on the Pencil for regular sized iPads and mini's!
 
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stevemiller

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Oct 27, 2008
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MacRumors said:

​
Taken in tandem, Kuo's statements along with AppleInsider's rumor suggest 3D Touch or a comparable technology will not be available on iPhones and iPads until after the fall of 2016, perhaps pointing towards a 2017 debut for the feature.
Click to expand...

i know this isn't the intent and directly contradicted elsewhere in the article, but this wording suggests 3d touch would be absent from 2016 iPhones.
 
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