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Apple Starts Early Production on Next-Generation iPhones With Force Touch

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Apple is starting production on its next-generation iPhones, reports Bloomberg, and the new models are equipped with Force Touch capabilities. Force Touch, first introduced with the Apple Watch, is a feature that's able to distinguish between a light tap and a harder press, enabling a range of new gestures.

The two new iPhones will retain the same 4.7 and 5.5-inch display sizes, with an exterior design that's largely unchanged. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested the addition of Force Touch could make the iPhone 0.2mm thicker, but it is unclear if that rumor is accurate.

iphone6-stock-photo.jpg
Apple Inc. has started early production of new iPhone models with a feature called Force Touch, which senses how hard users are pressing down on a screen, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Its newest iPhones, in the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions as the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices, will have a similar exterior design, the people said. Volume manufacturing is scheduled to ramp up as soon as next month, they said.
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Because the design of the new iPhones will remain the same, Bloomberg's sources believe final assembly will go smoothly, but caution that production volume could be impacted by the supply and yield of displays for the devices. Apple has been working to add Force Touch across its product lineup since unveiling the Apple Watch and has thus far incorporated the feature into the trackpads of the Retina MacBook and Retina MacBook Pro.

Apple is expected to debut its next-generation "iPhone 6s" and "iPhone 6s Plus" in September. Other rumors about the device suggest it could include an improved camera, 7000 series aluminum, and a new rose gold color option.

Article Link: Apple Starts Early Production on Next-Generation iPhones With Force Touch
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/26/iphone-force-touch-early-production/
iFanaddic

iFanaddic

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Sep 24, 2008
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if Apple was to implement force touch in the next iPhone wouldn't we see hints of it in iOS 9? It seems like too big of a feature to implement without a beta phase, but then again current iPhone's don't have force touch..

I think Apple may come up with a force touch enabled iPhone, but with watered down functionality, the full potential of force touch will only be released with iOS 10 next year, and only then will we see where Apple is going with this.

(btw I'm hoping force touch on the iPhone can behave differently depending on where you force touch, unlike the watch which is the whole screen. I want every app icon to behave differently when force touched for example. Or force touch on the right of the screen fast forward my video and force touch on the left of the screen to rewind. That would make the whole concept a lot more user friendly in my opinion.)
 
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KylePowers

KylePowers

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Mar 5, 2011
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Probably the first iPhone I'll skip (which of course I say every year). I think the 6 is great.

Force Touch on my AW doesn't really do too much for me. I never think to use it, either. Some sort of secret UI element based on a harder touch doesn't scream user friendly to me.
 
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aloshka

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Aug 30, 2009
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Having never skipped an Apple iteration (note, not just iphone). I think I'll skip this one. Apple stuff has been too buggy lately and not sure I want to put up with another feature that has the potential to break something else and make the phone even buggier.
 
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Jmausmuc

Jmausmuc

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I don’t know about this, I never ever use force touch on the MacBook Pro, and since the OS would have to work on all iphones, im kinda scared they will only use force touch as a gimmick like in OS X instead of making it a real useful feature and integral part of the navigation.
 
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mazz0

mazz0

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Mar 23, 2011
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Crosscreek said:
I'm still using my 5s and hope Apple produces another 4" iPhone in the future.
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I'm still using my 5S, and I used to want a new one handed iPhone (3.5" was my favourite size), but now with Apple Watch I'm not so bothered about one handed use anymore.

Thing is, I don't like the iPhone 6 design. Oh, well, I'll jump on board with the 7. I'm not interested in Force Touch anyway, I don't like using it on Apple Watch. I really don't see why it's better than a long press, which feels much more natural.
 
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keysofanxiety

keysofanxiety

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Nov 23, 2011
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iFanaddic said:
if Apple was to implement force touch in the next iPhone wouldn't we see hints of it in iOS 9? It seems like too big of a feature to implement without a beta phase, but then again current iPhone's don't have force touch..

I think Apple may come up with a force touch enabled iPhone, but with watered down functionality, the full potential of force touch will only be released with iOS 10 next year, and only then will we see where Apple is going with this.

(btw I'm hoping force touch on the iPhone works different depending on where you force touch, unlike the watch which is the whole screen. I want every icon to behave differently when force touched for example. Or force touch on the right of the screen fast forward my video and force touch on the left of the screen rewinds it. That would make the whole concept a lot more user friendly in my opinion.)
Click to expand...

Well it's definitely going to eventually come to the iPhone, that much is inevitable. The question is when, I suppose.
 
keysofanxiety

keysofanxiety

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Nov 23, 2011
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Jmausmuc said:
I don’t know about this, I never ever use force touch on the MacBook Pro, and since the OS would have to work on all iphones, im kinda scared they will only use force touch as a gimmick like in OS X instead of making it a real useful feature and integral part of the navigation.
Click to expand...

I will have to politely disagree about the gimmick comment, I think it's really clever technology and has a lot of potential for being more intuitive. Nonetheless there's an option to put the trackpad to legacy settings, which in itself works better than the standard trackpad (as the clicking is consistent wherever you press on the trackpad).

As with most of Apple's newly introduced technology, they're very much playing the long game and in a few years I have little doubt you'd ever wonder how you lived without it.
 
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SactoGuy18

SactoGuy18

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Sep 11, 2006
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My guess is that pilot production of the iPhone 6S and 6S+ models have begun at Foxconn and possibly Pegatron to make sure the hardware works correctly before full-scale production starts in August for late September 2015 release.
 
Jmausmuc

Jmausmuc

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Oct 13, 2014
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keysofanxiety said:
I will have to politely disagree about the gimmick comment, I think it's really clever technology and has a lot of potential for being more intuitive. Nonetheless there's an option to put the trackpad to legacy settings, which in itself works better than the standard trackpad (as the clicking is consistent wherever you press on the trackpad).

As with most of Apple's newly introduced technology, they're very much playing the long game and in a few years I have little doubt you'd ever wonder how you lived without it.
Click to expand...

I didn’t say the feature itself was a gimmick. What I meant was, that the way it is implemented in OS X is very gimmicky. It has absolutely no use.
I don’t mean the part where it just acts like the previous trackpad but the part where you press down to access some „hidden“ features or press down harder to fast forward quicker in quicktime.

On the iPhone, there is no need to press down to make it register as a click but it would be used similar to how it is used on the apple watch with the exception that the iPhone really doesn’t need more menus.
 
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dagamer34

dagamer34

macrumors 65816
May 1, 2007
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Houston, TX
iFanaddic said:
if Apple was to implement force touch in the next iPhone wouldn't we see hints of it in iOS 9? It seems like too big of a feature to implement without a beta phase, but then again current iPhone's don't have force touch..

I think Apple may come up with a force touch enabled iPhone, but with watered down functionality, the full potential of force touch will only be released with iOS 10 next year, and only then will we see where Apple is going with this.

(btw I'm hoping force touch on the iPhone can behave differently depending on where you force touch, unlike the watch which is the whole screen. I want every app icon to behave differently when force touched for example. Or force touch on the right of the screen fast forward my video and force touch on the left of the screen to rewind. That would make the whole concept a lot more user friendly in my opinion.)
Click to expand...

Large new iPhone dependent features historically are better hidden these days compared to before. Besides, the model for how this API works has already been implemented in the Watch internally and the Mac publicly.
 
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