14 DAY TRIAL // Knowing how "Apple never uses words in its invitations without them meaning something," analyst Carolina Milanesi believes there’s more to the iPad 3 than meets the eye. Literally.
The Guardian speculates that Apple may include a "haptic" display with the iPad 3 that will give users the impression that objects on the screen have texture, when touched.
Carolina Milanesi, smartphones and tablets analyst for the research company Gartner, has a similar theory. However, she believes the feedback stems from the back of the tablet, not the front side of the device, where the screen is located.
Apple’s media invitations sent out to journalists last month said: "We have something you really have to see. And touch." The first part undoubtedly refers to the rumored Retina display. The second part refers to the aforementioned haptic tech, Milanesi opines:
"Apple never uses words in its invitations without them meaning something," said Carolina Milanesi.
"Saying you have to 'see' it obviously refers to the retina display. As for 'touch', my first thought was that they have done something to the back of the iPad," added Milanesi.
However, the Guardian believes that the "touch" reference may be tied to a technology from Senseg.
The Finnish startup has reportedly developed a system called E-Sense which appears to give texture to touchscreens, the paper says:
“By using ‘tixels’ generated by electric fields from elements embedded around the screen, it can make areas of the screen feel rough, ridged or rounded – and change those just as the screen pixels can change.”
And Apple is likely a licensee of the technology. The Guardian had a chat with Senseg's high-ups in their Helsinki offices in January. They reportedly declined to say whether they had any deals signed with Apple to have the technology used in iPads.
When Senseg was asked directly whether Apple was not a customer, Petri Jehkonen, Senseg's technical marketing manager, replied "That would be for Apple to say. My comment is no comment."
