This article originally appeared on Vulcan Post.
When you use the word “click” the next time you’re tapping away on your brand new MacBook (in silver, gold, or space grey), it might not be wholly accurate.
From the tech world who have gotten hold of the new MacBook before its release, it’s being made very well known that the new MacBook’s Force Touch Trackpad does not click.
There is no click.
There is a feeling that feels like you’re clicking, but if you’re expecting an audible ‘click’ sound after you’ve tapped on something, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
The mechanisms behind it are a bit tricky to explain, but put simply, the fake ‘click’ feeling comes from a mechanism located below the trackpad that produces a ‘force feedback’. It fools your finger into believing that you are pressing down on a hinged button, sending back many layers of ‘clickable’ feedback depending on the pressure you put on your fingertips. This will allow you to do the “force touch” that they keep talking about. But while you’re ‘clicking’ away at your computer, your trackpad doesn’t actually move. At all.
Force Touch To iPhone
It makes sense, then, that the Force Touch may be coming to an iPhone near you. According to a Wall Street Journal report, there are rumours that Apple is planning to add sensors into its next iPhones. Like the technology used in Force Touch, they sensors on the new iPhones will be able to detect how hard a user is pressing onto a screen. And without the possibility of physical clicking, your iPhone screen will be safe from manipulation, and stylishly maintained.
With these sensors in place, it is possible that pressure-sensitive interactions with your iPhone will be possible, bringing a whole new level of smartphone use to the tech industry.
Imagine a keyboard app that would take into account the pressure placed onto the keys.
Imagine if the pressure that you apply onto a screen determines how sharp a turn you get to make in Asphalt 8.
Imagine Flappy Bird being pressure-sensitive (or maybe don’t, for the sake of your blood pressure).
With the possibility of an iPhone 6S in the horizon, rumours are abound, and this one is definitely my favourite. It brings about a wealth of possibilities to the way we use, manage, and create apps — one that I’m personally very excited for. And well, it definitely sounds much better than the chance of a pink iPhone.
