So until now it’s considered almost a certainty that Apple’s ‘iPhone 6s” an ‘iPhone 6s Plus’ will be sporting a force touch feature on the unveiling this Wednesday. Numerous leaked photos of the device have been leaked and expert opinion about the release and distribution of the device have added fuel to these ongoing rumors.
Indeed, the most valuable and most touted feature in the new model is the ‘Force Touch’ feature. The feature will change the way we use the device and will bring in new and interesting ways to use this feature in various scenarios. However, before the big unveiling of this feature on Wednesday reports are circulating that the feature will not be similar to the MacBook trackpad and Apple Watch’s ‘Force Touch‘ but will actually be called “3D touch display”, at least according to 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman. The feature debuted with Apple Watch and then was also retained in Apple’s new MacBook.
The new feature will have three levels of pressure sensitivity as compared to Mac’s two levels of pressure sensitivity. (It has been rumored that this change is the reason for the name of the feature). The usage is described as “a tap, a press and a deeper press”. With the addition of such a feature who knows which kinds of apps and iOS interaction the new model will bring to the table. A few of the expected changes are listed below:
For directions to points of interests in Maps, the user can Force Touch on the position to get the turn to turn directions. (This will save the user two steps).
For the Music app, Force Touching on a listed track will show the common actions for said app. (So the user will be saved from having to click the action buttons and then selecting the action)
For general apps, Force Touching on the icons on the Home screen will create shortcuts to particular actions related to the apps. (Like Force Touching the phone app might create a shortcut to the Voicemail)
For general MacBook gestures, Force Touching links in Safari will show a preview of the pages. (This includes addresses and map view previews as well)