Apple is planning on bringing 3D Touch to its future iPads
According to sources familiar with Apple’s plans, the Cupertino-based company is planning on bringing “scalable” 3D Touch technology to its future iPhones and iPads, albeit after the launch of its upcoming “iPhone 7,” a recent report claims.
3D Touch for iPad
The news comes from AppleInsider, which cites information provided by “a source familiar with the matter.” In its report, AppleInsider explains that Apple is indeed working on a next-generation 3D Touch interface that can be scaled up for larger screens, and in particular, the 7.9-, 9.7-, and 12.9-inch screens of Apple’s iPad line. One of the biggest qualms with the iPad Pro is that the device doesn’t support 3D Touch — a drawback which is something of an annoyance for owners of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
This, however, is set to change. Though only after Apple’s next-generation iPhone has launched.
Not before the ‘iPhone 7′
The same report corroborates with a recent note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who argued that 3D Touch wouldn’t arrive on the iPad Air 3 later this year (I’d sooner bet than Pencil support will be the big feature offered by the next-generation 9.7-inch tablet). Instead, AppleInsider’s article claims that the next-generation 3D Touch technology will reach iOS devices after Apple’s “iPhone 7″ is in the hands of customers, potentially beginning with a second-generation iPad Pro.
According to a source familiar with the matter, Apple is unable to scale existing 3D Touch technology to accommodate larger displays like the 9.7-inch panels used in the iPad Air line. The source, who has in the past provided accurate information about Apple’s future plans, said the company is working on a comparable technology for integration in both iPhones and iPads, potentially offering support for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Apple’s largest iOS device.
I don’t miss 3D Touch on my iPad Pro, namely because I’m still using an iPhone 6 Plus. Yet I can see how the technology has a huge impact on the ease of use of Apple’s iOS. Bringing 3D Touch to a display as large as the iPad Pro’s 12.9-inch screen would be no small feat, yet the move could, at the same time, further transform Apple’s pro-level tablet into even more of a device for getting serious work done.
After all, pressure-sensitive touch interfaces have already reached Apple’s MacBook line. Here’s hoping we see 3D Touch for iPad launch sooner rather than later.
