Apple working on haptic feedback and more to improve future iPhone models

Apple has always been a company looking to improve on current products as the improving generations of the iPhone show. What are the guys from Cupertino working on now to keep their touchscreen phone fresh and one-step ahead of the challengers? A look at some of the company's patent applications give us a hint.

One thing that appears likely to come to the iPhone in the near future is haptic feedback. While other phones vbibrate or provide some kind of physical feedback when a key is pressed or a link clicked, Apple has something more complex in mind. Using a grid of actuators that can change frequencies, the user will be able to "feel" different surfaces by sliding along the glass display.

Another patent deals with fingerprint ID. Besides using prints for security, Apple proposes using this as a tool for navigation or to turn on certain functions of the handset. For example, a press of the middle finger could automatically start the music player, while another finger could be read as a signal to stop the player. The phone would use fingerprint ID to recognize which finger the user was pressing on the screen with.This technology could also be used instead of pressing a button.

The final patent deals with using a touchscreen as an RFID reader. Small tags made of electronic circuits can be placed inside an object and are used for identification using an RFID reader. The company is talking about putting an antenna inside the touchscreen, allowing it to be used as such a reader. Apple says it could be a very useful tool for the device in the future as use of the tags grow. For example, the iPhone could scan a product containing the tag, which would transmit pricing information to the handset. The device would then complete the transaction using stored credit card information.

source: MacRumors