Apple's suppliers have reportedly started early runs for the production of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, both believed to have Force Touch.
Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg reports suppliers have begun manufacturing the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus with Force Touch. And since both models are vastly similar to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in exterior, the news outlet says suppliers are not likely to run into bottlenecks during the early production run. In fact, if all goes as planned, mass production of the smartphones is expected to begin next month.
Rumors already abound claiming Apple's new iPhones will be equipped with Force Touch, a new feature that allows the device to distinguish between a light tap and a deep press. Force Touch is already found in the Apple Watch, where it is a useful gesture control feature for a device with very little screen real estate. Apple also incorporated Force Touch into its new 12-inch MacBook's trackpad, so it only makes sense that the next iPhones will get the new feature as well.
Earlier this week, we reported that Apple has been negotiating with its suppliers Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect as it has begun orders for the high-end flexible printed circuit boards (FPCB) needed to include Force Touch in the iPhones.
Gowever, Force Touch will serve a slightly different function in the iPhones, according to KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-respected Apple analyst. Kuo says instead of detecting the different kinds of pressure on the screen, Force Touch for the iPhone will monitor "the contact area on which the finger touches the screen to decide how big the pressure is."
Since this is the first pair of iPhones to be equipped with Force Touch, Bloomberg's sources are making room for production delays that can possibly rise due to the timing and yield of the Force Touch-enabled displays.
In a report made earlier this month by KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo, a respected Apple analyst, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are expected to be 0.15 mm longer and 0.2 mm thicker than the current flagships to account for Force Touch and to remove the protruding camera found on the back of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Kuo also reported in a separate note that Apple plans to offer an iPhone 6s in a new color option, rose gold, aside from the existing space gray, silver and gold. The rear camera is also expected to get a bump to 12 megapixels and the RAM to 2 GB.
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are expected to be unveiled in the fall along with the release of iOS 9.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr
