[access-uk] Last-minute rumor: Apple snuck Senseg’s groundbreaking haptic display technology into iPad 3? | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence

From: Gordon Keen <gordonkeen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: BCAB Discussion List <bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2012 14:09:59 +0000

http://9to5mac.com/2012/03/07/last-minute-rumor-apple-snuck-senseg-haptic-feedback-into-the-new-ipad/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+9To5Mac-MacAllDay+%289+to+5+Mac+-+Apple+Intelligence%29

Last-minute rumor: Apple snuck Senseg’s groundbreaking haptic display
technology into iPad 3?

March 7, 2012 at 5:18 am

We are extremely skeptical about this one, but are re-posting it for the sake
of discussion. According to Pocket-lint sources, Apple’s iPad 3 will
incorporate a new, advanced tactile feedback technology that could add a whole
new sensory input to the tablet. Unlike traditional haptic feedback that
creates the sensation of physical touch by means of a small electrical stimulus
– creating pulses that push back against the finger – Apple’s solution
allegedly puts an electrical pulse behind every pixel.

In theory, this would effectively create a 2048-by-1536 Retina display with
so-called “textured feedback”. That is, it would add “texture” to objects on
the screen when touched. Possible applications of this technology could be
numerous and especially handy for both seeing and hearing issues. In addition,
games would gain a whole new dimension if programmers could control scree
pulses with a pixel-level accuracy and provide sensory perception of textures
by varying friction between the screen and the user’s finger.

According to the article, Apple has been in talks with a Finnish startup called
Senseg, the creators of advanced haptic display technology called E-Sense,
depicted in the below clip. Now, when asked whether Apple licensed their
technology, a company spokesman told the publication that “We won’t be making
any statements until after Apple’s announcement”.

Similarly, Senseg’s technical marketing manager Petri Jekonen provided a
similar answer to The Guardian newspaper yesterday:

That would be for Apple to say. My comment is no comment.

Plus, Senseg senior vice president Ville Mäkinen told Trusted Reviews that his
company is “currently working with a certain tablet maker based in Cupertino”.
The publication explains that the aim of Senseg’s technology is to “make a
corrugated surface feel corrugated, a rough surface rough, a soft surface
soft”. What’s so special about Senseg’s technology, you ask. Read on…

According to the Senseg website:

With Senseg, touch screens come alive with textures, contours and edges that
users can feel. Using Senseg technology, makers of tablet computers, smart
phones, and any touch interface device can deliver revolutionary user
experiences with high fidelity tactile sensations. Your customers will Feel the
Difference with Senseg. Unlike effects created by mechanical vibration and
piezo solutions, Senseg is silent. Moreover, with Senseg application developers
have precise control of the location and type of effect users experience.
What’s more, Senseg technology scales from touch pads, smart phones and tablets
to the largest touch screens without increasing manufacturing complexity.

We also know from Apple’s patent filings that the company has been researching
advanced forms of tactile feedback for use in mobile devices. According to this
patent filing, Apple’s solution calls for a “grid of piezoelectronic actuators
that can be activated on command”. By fluctuating the frequency of these
actuators, the user will get a sense of different surfaces as their finger
moves across it. For example, a virtual click wheel displayed on such a screen
could vibrate at a different frequency as you move your finger across the
center. And a newer patent filing takes this one step further, describing smart
haptic tech that might tap the accelerometer sensor to precisely control levels
of sensory feedback.

Finally, Apple’s invitation for the iPad 3 event says that ”We have something
you really have to see. And touch”. Now, Apple Kremlinologists know the company
doesn’t just word its press invitations to sound cool, always incorporating
cryptic leads about important new features. For example, invitation graphics
for the last year’s iPhone 4S introduction is adorned with the “Let’s talk
iPhone” tagline, a subtle hint to the Siri voice-activated digital assistant
billed as one of the key selling points of the device.

Eagle-eyed pundits were quick to note that the “touch” part in the “We have
something you really have to see. And touch” tagline of the iPad 3 invitation
pretty much signifies that one of the defining enhancements of the new iPad
will something related to touch input. The mystery will be revealed in a few
hours when Apple unveils its next-generation iPad at a media event in San
Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

[access-uk] Last-minute rumor: Apple snuck Senseg’s groundbreaking haptic display technology into iPad 3? | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence

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