Apple's next iPhone could come with a new type of screen that's unlike anything we've seen on a smartphone yet
Now, a new report from 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman provides some insight as to what exactly this new Force Touch screen will do for the iPhone.
Gurman, who has reported accurate information about Apple's iPhones in the past, says the Force Touch screen will trigger some new features within iOS.
For example, you'll reportedly be able to drop pins in Apple Maps, control scrolling within the iOS media players by applying more pressure onto the screen, quickly look up word definitions, and add new calendar events using the Force Touch screen.
The person Gurman spoke with claims to have used a prototype iPhone 6s that has Force Touch integrated. One source told Gurman that Force Touch will likely be for iPhone power users, and won't be essential to most tasks. This makes it sound like the Force Touch controls will be used as shortcuts for navigating around iOS.
Force Touch is a new type of pressure-sensitive technology that can detect how hard you're pressing in addition to how long you're pressing and where you're tapping the screen. It would be the only smartphone with such technology. The Apple Watch's tiny screen also has Force Touch technology built-in, but it'll be interesting to see how it works on a much larger screen like that of the iPhone.
Apple is also talking about making some improvements to the iOS keyboard and has already prototyped a few new designs, the report says. One of these prototypes is slightly longer than the current iOS keyboard and comes with more editing controls.
iMessage is expected to get some minor enhancements too, such as support for read receipts in group threads.
We expect to learn more about what Apple has in store for its upcoming iPhone software at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June. Apple isn't expected to unveil its next iPhone for another few months, however. Usually the company introduces its new iPhones in September, although one report suggests it could come in August this year.
Gurman's report backs up previous claims, such as one from accurate Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, that says Force Touch will be one of the flagship features for Apple's iPhone 6 successor.