iPod touch How does the touch screen technology work?

[RumMunkey]

It doesn't appear to be the same as touch screens you see on ATMS or on POS systems at the grocery store.

It's a hard glass, not a soft clear overlay like the touch screen of my Sony Commander remote. I can't see any sort of sensors or receptors when I look closely at the screen.

I think it has the potential to be revolutionary. I can see many future applications for this. From everything to in-car entertainment systems to laptops to remote controls, to video game systems, to just about anything else you can imagine.

What exactly are the mechanics behind the touch screen?

 

[nlivo]

http://www.apple.com/iphone/technology/features.html?feature=touch

apple post a video on it.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Found this on a site about Jeff Han's work. It may be relevant for Apple's touchscreen technology...

Main page
http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/

 

[Ryon]

Some info here (on the iPhone but since they're presumably the same tech...): http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/iphone1.htm

 

[jeremy.king]

What exactly are the mechanics behind the touch screen?

Magic

 

[madmaxmedia]

It doesn't rely on pressure, it has a capacitance sensor like the trackpad on a notebook computer, or the clickwheel on an iPod (the wheel, not the clicky buttons.)

http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=174909778
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchpad

That's why you can't use a stylus with the Touch, like you do with PDA's and some other phones. But of course there are advantages as well (I much prefer the Touch's glass screen, vs. a Palm PDA type screen surface.)

The capacitance sensor itself, relies on magic.