Industry experts are saying that Apple has started working on touchless gesture and features like curved screens for iPhones. The said functionalities which have been missing from Apple devices, if implemented, will help the tech giant attract new customers and will provide them with an edge over their competitors. The touchless gesture which is an advanced piece of technology will help iPhone users in operating their device without actually touching the screen, by hovering their fingers above it. Experts have said that if Apple decides to go with the tech, then it will possibly take the company a minimum of two years to successfully develop it.
Apple has been the leader in innovation ever since its inception. Making history by popularising the mouse and then introducing the iPhone, Apple has proved itself again and again. The latest hardware functionality which Apple embedded in its new iPhone is the 3D Touch, which lets the device respond differently to varied pressure. Similarly, the new touchless gesture will also take into account the distance of fingers from the screen to add some new and high-tech elements to the technology. This news was reported by Bloomberg.
Apple is also planning a significant change in the screen by putting thoughts into a curved display. The reports say that the new curved display which is being brewed up by Apple will curve inwards from top to bottom unlike the present Samsung phones, in which the screen bends towards the side bezels. This is expected to be a huge development in display technology when compared to the present OLED display in iPhone X.
When asked about the same technologies an Apple spokesperson declined to make any comments on the same. However, like we mentioned, both the technologies are in very nascent stages of development and aren’t expected to show up on the market anytime soon.
In a market where all the big smartphone players seem to be adopting similar features on their smartphones like full screens, notch, facial recognition, Apple has found a need to set themselves apart by implementing a vastly different and exceedingly innovative approach. According to last year’s reports compiled by IDC post the launch of iPhone 8 and iPhone X, Apple jumped to the second position in phone sales and was responsible for about 20% of the total smartphone shipments. While other popular companies like Samsung are working on foldable smartphone and Huawei seems to be getting immensely popular in the south Asian countries, Apple needs something new to set themselves apart.
Samsung launched a feature called Air Gestures several years ago that lets users accept calls and flip through web pages by waving their hand across the top of the phone. Google has also been working on a similar project called Project Soli under its ATAP team. Experts clarified that the distance proximity for the iPhone project would be lesser than the Project Soli by Google. The basic difference between the technology being developed by Apple and that which is developed by Samsung will be the presence of sensor on the phone. While Apple seeks to build the technology under the screen, Samsung has implemented the same by using a sensor on the top bezel of the phone.
Before Apple starts rolling out the touchless gesture and curved screens, they also have short-term plans in place to advance the iPhone series. The tech giant is putting plans in place to use the OLED screens for a lot more devices, also, a larger model of the iPhone with a 6.5-inch screen is also said to be coming right around the corner. Along with that Apple is also working on a less expensive LCD screen model, and also an update to the iPhone X’s screen.
To have enough supply of OLED screens for their expansion plans this year, Apple is sourcing the displays from LG as well besides sourcing them from Samsung.
