Apple Has Started Next-Gen iPhone Production with Force Touch: Bloomberg

Bloomberg reports Apple has started production of its next iPhone already, said to feature Force Touch technology, an essential feature of the Apple Watch:

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.

Sources say the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch next-gen iPhones will have a similar design, with volume manufacturing to increase as soon as July. The release of Force Touch-enabled iPhones may be impacted by supply and yield rates of the displays, said one source.

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.

Here’s how Apple describes Force Touch:

Force Touch uses tiny electrodes around the flexible Retina display to distinguish between a light tap and a deep press, and trigger instant access to a range of contextually specific controls.

 

Back in March, sources told the WSJ upcoming iPhones would have Force Touch, which would make a compelling feature addition to the expected ‘iPhone 6s’ upgrade.

 

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