Apple’s manufacturers have reportedly started production on the next-generation iPhones, and they’re apparently bringing over Force Touch pressure-sensitive screens from the Apple Watch.

According to a Bloomberg report, manufacturing is already underway and will ramp up even more in July.

Apple typically releases an iPhone hardware update in late September, so the news falls in line with the company’s established rhythm. The next-generation device is presumed to be called the iPhone 6S.

Force Touch, a feature new to Apple’s MacBook and the Apple Watch, makes the screen sensitive to varying levels of pressure, so it can tell whether you’re tapping lightly or pressing firmly. The new feature would make certain actions on the phone easier to pull off, like pressing firmly when you want to drop a pin in Maps. The report indicates Apple has been working to build pressure sensitivity into the iPhone’s display for two years.

The next iPhones will likely look the same as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Because it is an “S” year for iPhones, Apple is expected to pack the next models with internal hardware upgrades but keep the designs intact. Last year, of course, we saw a big redesign that introduced two versions of Apple’s flagship device, one with a much larger screen and both with slimmer, rounded bodies.

Force Touch was first unveiled during the Apple Watch announcement in September 2014 and made its way to the ultra-slim new MacBook’s trackpad soon after. On the watch, the feature is used to access hidden options within apps. On the MacBook, Force Touch streamlines features like link previews, word definitions and fast-forwarding through videos.

The next iPhone is also rumored to use a harder kind of aluminum currently used in the Apple Watch Sport, and there could be a shiny new rose gold-colored iPhone. The camera might see a bump to 12 megapixels, up from eight.

 

Source: Mashable