Earlier this year it emerged, through patent filings, Apple is exploring the idea of bringing the Digital Crown from the Apple Watch to other mobile devices.
Now two more patent applications have been published, suggesting Apple is continuing to take a serious look at bringing the UI feature to future iPhone and iPad models.
Related: Apple Watch Series 2 review
The initial filing, revealed in July, showed how the crown could be used to control volume, resize text, take a photo or scroll through menus. A second in August demonstrated how it could be used to give iOS a 3D UI that would make it possible to switch between a cube of common apps like Mail, Safari, Phone and Calendar.
However, the patents unearthed today by Patently Apple (via 9to5Mac), show how haptic feedback could be added to the Digital Crown if it were deployed on iOS devices.
The filing described “an exemplary rotary input that can rotate in a rotational direction as well as be displaced in a direction orthogonal to the rotational direction.”
(puyllquote)If deployed it would see to give the user the illusion of a ‘click-click-click” sensation akin to turning a rotary wheel.
Of course, the appearance of these patents doesn’t mean Apple is certain to take future iOS devices in this direction.
It does offer an insight into Apple’s thinking though and, with iOS feeling a little stale, this might be a away to freshen things up.
Apple Watch Series 2 vs Apple Watch
Would you welcome the digital crown on a new iPhone and iPad? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.