Future Mac Keyboards Could Rely On Force Touch For Haptic Feedback

We’re sure you’ll all experienced that slight buzz on your phone when you type on it, especially when it comes to Android devices. The idea is to give you haptic feedback whenever you press a key so that you know it is registered. However it doesn’t really feel quite the same as pressing on an actual keyboard or keypad.

This is where Apple’s Force Touch technology comes into play. According to a patent filed by Apple, it seems that the Cupertino company is exploring the idea of creating virtual keyboards using the Force Touch technology. The idea is to simulate what it is like to depress a key versus having your phone vibrate whenever you type, thus making it feel more like an actual keyboard and less like a virtual one.

It could potentially apply to physical keyboards where Apple could basically create a flat keyboard from glass or metal and have the user type on it and simulate the feel of pressing on physical keys. After all Apple has managed to accomplish that with the Force Touch trackpads on the new MacBook where it feels like the user has physically depressed the trackpad when in reality they haven’t.

Recently it has also been discovered that Apple is using the Force Touch’s haptic feedback together with the iMovie software where it users will experience haptic feedback when performing certain functions.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple
Tags: Patent