Apple fans are eagerly looking forward to the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, due out in September. Anticipating stupendous demand, the Cupertino-based tech giant has asked its suppliers to make 90 million units of the new iPhones. Meanwhile, Apple was recently granted a patent for tap and nudge controls. The feature may not make it to the iPhone 6S, given the device has already entered mass production. But Apple may incorporate it in the next year’s iPhone 7.
How does it work?
Late last month, the iPhone maker won a patent for “Fine-tuning an operation based on tapping.” The patent was filed in January 2013. Apple realizes that fingers are not as accurate as mouse or stylus, especially on a smaller display. The patent describes an iPhone that could use its built-in sensors like gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass to register and respond to taps and nudges made anywhere on the device. It works even if you tap on the back or sides of the iPhone.
Daily Mail says the technology could be applied in the iPhone 7 that is expected to arrive in 2016. The level of force will determine the action to be taken. In its patent filing, Apple gives a few interesting examples. For instance, gently tapping on the left side of the iPhone could move an on-screen image to the left by one pixel. A harder tap could move it to the left by five pixels.
Will Apple use this technology in iPhone 7?
Users could also use these taps and nudges when selecting text. Place the cursor at the beginning of a word or sentence, and then tap on the right to highlight letters or words. Apple also demonstrated another example of selecting and expanding boxes in a spreadsheet document. Gently tap on the different corners of the phone to select rows or cells.
The technology seems interesting. But the million dollar question is: Will Apple use the patent in iPhone 7? Only time will tell. The Cupertino company is awarded a lot of patents, but not all of them make it to the final version of its devices.
