The screen of the next iPhone will be pressure sensitive, providing new ways to interact with the smartphone, according to reports. The Wall Street Journal claims the Force Touch technology - introduced this week on Apple's new MacBook - will make its way to the iPhone set to be released later this year.
The redesigned trackpad on the new 12in MacBook makes use of the Force Touch technology, which recognises the difference between a soft tap and a hard press and performs different actions accordingly. In Safari, for instance, MacBook users can "deep press" to get a Wikipedia definition of the highlighted word, or deep press on an address to bring up a map of the location.
The touchpad also provides haptic feedback, vibrating under the finger to confirm to the user that their touch has been recognised. MacBook owners can even change the sensitivity of the trackpad, making it harder to activate a deep press if they wish.
Now Apple plans to extend this technology to the iPhone, according to the normally reliable WSJ. iOS already distinguishes between short and long presses on the screen, but adding pressure as another variable could allow Apple to develop new ways of interacting with both in-house and third-party apps. Force Touch could also find applications in gaming - pressing harder to destroy a building in Sim City BuildIt, for example, or hit a long pass in FIFA 15.
Force Touch isn't the only new snippet of information the WSJ has gleaned about the next iPhone. The newspaper reports that Apple is currently considering a pink colour option, to go alongside the silver, space grey and gold models that it currently offers. Otherwise, the physical design of the iPhones won't be changed all that much, with Apple planning to retain the 4.7in and 5.5in form factors of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus respectively.