Apple has been busy negotiating with its suppliers lately as the company gears up to increase its orders for the high-end FPCBs. The said component is necessary in order to incorporate the Force Touch Technology into the company's upcoming iPhone 6S devices. As a result, Apple's main suppliers namely Flexium Interconnect and Zhen Ding Technology are also expecting a climb in their revenues which both companies are preparing to report on towards the second half of 2015.
Currently, the Force Touch Technology feature is found in the company's Apple Watch and latest models of its MacBook devices. By using Force Touch on the wearable, users gain added controls in the apps such as Calendar, Music and Messages as they press firmly on the screen display. It is the next most significant sensing feature following the previous technology known as Multi-Touch. With tiny electrodes nestled around the Retina display, the wearable can easily discern a light tap from a deep press.
In the case of MacBooks, Apple has incorporated the Force Touch technology in the trackpad which the company has aptly labeled the "Force Touch trackpad." It features four sensors that allow the user to click the trackpad practically anywhere. This means that all clicks will be easily recognized no matter how much pressure is used and whichever part of the trackpad is clicked.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an established KGI Apple analyst, said that the function of the Force Touch will differ in the iPhone 6S. Instead of pressure detection, the technology will work as a "monitoring feature" wherein it can assess the size of the pressure from the contact area where the user touches the display.
Price of the Force Touch sensors for the iPhone 6S is said to be more expensive than the ones that were used in the Apple Watch. The sensors will reportedly cost between $13 and $14 a piece which is higher than the $4 to $5 price of its Apple Watch version by more than 2 times.
Apple seemed to have already prepared itself with this difference in the price as the company is set to bring the Force Touch technology to both of its next gen iPhone handsets. Past rumors have indicated that Apple had initially planned to add the technology solely into the iPhone 6S Plus. Obviously, the company eventually changed its mind and decided to let the iPhone 6S join its lineup of devices with the Force Touch technology.
