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

Tuesday December 15, 2015 4:02 pm PST by Juli Clover
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
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.
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.

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[ 118 comments ]


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BillyMatt87
48 months ago
How about a UI that's properly designed for iPad displays and not a blown-up version of the iPhone's Ui?
Rating: 27 Votes
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Rogifan
48 months ago
So as I suspected, this is a technical issue not Apple intentionally holding something back for whatever cynical reason people here came up with.
Rating: 16 Votes
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apolloa
48 months ago
I hardly ever use it on my 6S. I keep forgetting about it and press an icon to remove the programme only for the menu to pop up, forgetting i have to lightly hold pressing the screen to get what I want.
Doubt I would miss it really. Really not sure if I would use it on a tablet, especially a 13" one!
Rating: 9 Votes
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bpeeps
48 months ago

How about a UI that's properly designed for iPad displays and not a blown-up version of the iPhone's Ui?

Update article about a feature, MR members comment about something else they are disappointed with. Every post, it never fails.
Rating: 9 Votes
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DTphonehome
48 months ago
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.
Rating: 8 Votes
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Rogifan
48 months ago

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

Apple is already doing that; slide over, split view and PIP only exist on iPad.
Rating: 7 Votes
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lars666
48 months ago

I was looking at a new iPad Air 2 yesterday, vaguely considering buying one but was really struck by what a low PPI the display was to my eye. I would never buy a device with such a jaggy display now. I consider the display on my 6s+ now barely acceptable.


The PPI of the 6s PLUS (Full HD on 5,5 inch, 401 PPI) barely acceptable??? Wow, now it's really getting really pretentious ... Or the psychological effect of an even higher number on paper does manipulate your mind way too much. We can argue anytime about display quality differences - LED, OLED, whatever – but when it comes to PPI, your eyes simply aren't able to see the differences anymore at this level. Objectively speaking, it simply isn't possible.
Rating: 5 Votes
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vertical smile
48 months ago

I hardly ever use it on my 6S. I keep forgetting about it and press an icon to remove the programme only for the menu to pop up, forgetting i have to lightly hold pressing the screen to get what I want.
Doubt I would miss it really. Really not sure if I would use it on a tablet, especially a 13" one!


I really don't like 3D touch. Maybe I am doing it wrong, but I always have issues with selecting text and trying to copy and paste. I don't ever use my phone to type stuff anymore except messages for this reason.
Rating: 5 Votes
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jamesrick80
48 months ago

Why do you need to turn 3D Touch off? Do you naturally put that much force on the device screen?


He owns the device, let him do what he wants to do with it.
Rating: 4 Votes
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Max(IT)
48 months ago

What in the world are you on? The Air 2 display has obvious jagginess for many people with excellent near vision.

I'm in a world where I'm a professional whose eyesight is being checked twice at year.
And there is no obvious jagginess in an iPad Air display...

A 9.7" isn't supposed to be watched from 5 cm ... or your excellent near vision will vanish in a very short time :D
Rating: 4 Votes

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