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Bloomberg: Apple begins manufacturing next-gen iPhone with Force Touch

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Bloomberg is reporting that Apple has started early production of the next-generation iPhone with Force Touch. We initially reported back in May that the next-generation iPhone will include a design similar to the current lineup of devices, but include support for Force Touch. 

Force Touch was first unveiled with Apple Watch and in Apple’s Retina MacBook Pros and 12-inch MacBooks. The feature allows users to press harder on a screen or trackpad to reveal more options. Force Touch is heavily integrated with Apple Watch and is important to the navigation process due to the device’s compact design.

The report claims that Apple will ramp up production as early as next month. Timing and production of Force Touch displays could be impacted by the availability of the displays, according to one source speaking to Bloomberg. Overall, however, Apple expects production to go smoothly due to the design similarities between the device and the existing iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

A separate report from earlier this month claimed that the next-generation iPhone will be approximately 0.15mm longer and 0.2mm thicker to accommodate for Force Touch and the removal of the device’s camera bump. KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo has also separately reported that the iPhone 6S will be available in a new Rose Gold color option and include a 12MP camera and overall spec bumps., The iOS 9 code also hinted that the device will include a much higher quality front facing camera.

Finally, we noted of Apple’s enhancements to iOS 9 to prepare for Force Touch support. The company is reportedly already working to let developers integrate the feature into App Store apps. Force Touch will allow for the company to clear up some control space throughout iOS, as well as being used for things like dropping new pins in Maps, and pressure-sensitive scrolling in media apps.

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Comments

  1. Ron Cardi (@ROYG_B) - 9 years ago

    Was hoping Apple would work on making the bezels smaller. Looks like they’re going the opposite direction.

    • rogifan - 9 years ago

      How does Apple do that when they have the home button and Touch ID to account for?

      • Ron Cardi (@ROYG_B) - 9 years ago

        How can they make bezels smaller? Well they can start by keeping it as is and not making them bigger.

      • Inaba-kun (@Inaba_kun) - 9 years ago

        He bezel serves no purpose above the screen. It’s there purely for symmetry.

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

      Are you referring to the black edge surrounding the actual viewing area?

    • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

      You do realize that’s a major design overhaul for reduced bezels right? You also realize that force touch and haptic feedback is the answer to removing the home button and reducing all bezels massively, right? Expect this in the iPhone 7, major design change, first iPhone without a physical home button, massively reduced bezels, new display type, and increased pixel density.

      • charilaosmulder - 9 years ago

        You should really manage your expectations.

      • rettun1 - 9 years ago

        I like the idea of force touching the screen to go home, but I think that there could be more interesting uses for it they could go with. Then again, por que no los dos?

    • Bradlee TheDawg - 9 years ago

      Hope not – and what brings you to that conclusion? Those images are stock – and has anyone actually seen a next-gen iPhone prototype?

  2. Carol Ann Ahmed - 9 years ago

    I’m not seeing any reason to upgrade to this phone.

    • rogifan - 9 years ago

      What would give you a reason? And if you have a 6 or 6 plus right now I doubt Apple is expecting you to upgrade.

      • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

        Some of us have the deal with the carrier where we can simply trade in our older model for the newer model, so there is always a certain amount of people that upgrade yearly, then there are people that upgrade every 2 years, another percentage that upgrades every 3 years, etc. etc.

    • 89p13 - 9 years ago

      You haven’t seen the spec / processor upgrades yet. Wait and see what’s being upgraded and then make that decision.

    • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

      You have no imagination as to what they’re going to do with force touch, so maybe wait until you see that first?

    • Robert Dupuy - 9 years ago

      I don’t yet either, but if it has a faster processor, that’d be cool. Not that the current one is any slouch, but I like to keep current.

    • If they use Force Touch as a way to simulate a right click in Safari, allowing me to use my company internal website, that alone would be a reason to upgrade from my 5S.

    • guacho8 - 9 years ago

      then Don’t…

  3. stevelawrence - 9 years ago

    I don’t understand why force touch is any better than a long touch? Like when you push and hold an icon on the home screen to delete an app. Isn’t it pretty much the same thing?

    • It’s actually a longer, slightly stronger touch. But that is not the amazing part about it. It’s the feedback.

      • o0smoothies0o - 9 years ago

        It’s not longer. Does no one understand force touch? It is pressure, not time. Pressure.

      • @o0smoothies0o

        Yes, and no. I use the new trackpad. It feels kind of a 2-step-klick because of the feedback. While it is about pressure, it results in a slightly longer klick most of the times. Like a double klick needs a litte bit more time than a single klick.

    • whatyoutalkingboutwillis - 9 years ago

      From what I saw with the implementation on macbooks, it looks like you get extra functionality as the sensor detects how much pressure you are using instead of just how long you press it for. The macbook allows users to change the playback speed depending on how much force the user uses when pushing a playback button.

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

      Force touch allows there to be different types of button presses depending on the function of the button. Have you played around with the Force Touch laptops that are out now? It just gives a little more dimension to how you interact with the device. It’s one of those “cool features’ that useful, but not mandatory, but eventually it’ll be standard on all Apple products with a screen or a trackpad.

    • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

      They can’t be used for the same purposes. For example, it takes a long touch on a word on iOS to bring up the contextual options ‘Copy’ ‘Define’. A force touch in this scenario could just directly into the definition of that word. It’s a shortcut. One that’s not possible with a long touch, in the sense that a long touch is not quicker than waiting for contextual and tapping ‘Define’ it’s probably slower, and accidentally activated if that was how it worked. Force touch is a much different and better idea than a long press because it’s never accidental and quicker.

    • mytawalbeh - 9 years ago

      It is a new click(touch) does new or specific things. Like what we have on Desktops we have Left click, Press hold, and (Right Click), Force Touch will be a symbol for (Right Click) giving us another layer of commands that we can do rather than traditional touch and press hold.

  4. Abel Del Real-Nava - 9 years ago

    So it begins! I’m excited for the new iPhone. I can’t wait to see if all the rumors are true.

  5. michaelcpearson7 - 9 years ago

    As of right now I’m not excited about Force Touch. I got my daughter a new MacBook with Force Touch and it actually took away one feature that I love and use often, the 3 finger drag. On my current MacBook it’s instinctual to move folders/windows/apps around with 3 fingers on the trackpad. Now, with Force Touch, you have to use 1 finger and “press down a little harder” to replicate the same thing. I check her settings to see if I could reactivate it to no success. Maybe it’s in my head but it ‘fees like’ to drag you have to keep the same amount of pressure on the trackpad as you are moving it or you will ‘drop’ the move.

    Anyway… maybe it’s just my own pet peeve with the Force Touch. As of now I’ll stick with my 6Plus and 2013 Macbook until they don’t work anymore.

    • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

      Apple.com/feedback

      ‘Bring back the three finger drag feature for force touch trackpads.’

    • caydjj - 9 years ago

      Three finger drag is still there, just hidden. Go to accessibility in system preferences, then go to mouse and trackpad, trackpad options, and then enable dragging

    • Matic Dolinar - 9 years ago

      Dude, 3 finger drag is still present. The option to turn it on has only been moved to Accessibility menu under Mouse & Trackpad.

      Even quick Google search could help you with your “problem”: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204609

  6. Robert Dupuy - 9 years ago

    I hate force touch, ugh

  7. Bradlee TheDawg - 9 years ago

    Why is there no date on the article or the announcement? That’s journalism 101 – a dateline. Or is it there and I’m missing it? (It should be the first line in the story – anything time-sensitive)

    • PhilBoogie - 9 years ago

      There is, but apparently you didn’t click the link to see:

      “by Tim Culpan
      June 27, 2015 — 12:00 AM CEST”

      Though it is perfectly understandable to not have done that. After all, it’s Bloomberg, the one that published Steve’s obituary prematurely. Causing Steve to respond that the reports on his death were ‘greatly exaggerated’.

  8. rettun1 - 9 years ago

    So is this the same force touch found in the MacBook trackpad and apple watch, or is this the “force touch” that was rumored for this next iPhone with a new display detecting the surface area of the finger instead of actual pressure? I don’t care which tech they use, I just hope that I can’t detect the difference because I love how it works on the watch and I can’t wait to use it on a phone

  9. If they use Force Touch as a way to simulate a right click in Safari, allowing me to use my company internal website, that alone would be a reason to upgrade from my 5S.

  10. tomtubbs - 9 years ago

    Last year, same time, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-06-24/apple-s-big-iphones-said-to-start-production-next-month though AAPL is now trading at $126.75, up a whopping 40% from $90.28 last year – not too shabby.

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

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