It looks like the iPad 3 event invite need some more decoding. The tagline on the invite for today’s iPad event reads “We have something you really have to see. And touch.”
As we noted yesterday, the graphics of the invitation shows an iOS Calendar icon with the date as March 7th with the iPad screen in the background, clearly suggesting that Apple plans to introduce much awaited next generation iPad at the media event.
The resolution of the Calendar icon in the invite seems to confirm that iPad 3 will indeed get a high-resolution Retina Display.
So while the Retina Display seemed the explain the “have to see” part of the tagline, there have been many interpretations for the “And touch” part of the tagline. Some speculate that “have to see” suggests Apple will also unveil Apple TV 3 or the next generation iPod touch alongside iPad 3, while others including Gizmodo claim that Apple may be doing away with the Home button in iPad 3 and instead replacing it with a capacitive bezel.
While experts have rejected the idea, here’s another possible explanation for the “And touch” part of the tagline. Pocket-lint reports that iPad 3 may feature Senseg’s feel technology.
“Senseg is a haptics technology company founded just five years ago, the start of Nokia’s decline. Unlike haptics until this point, Senseg is working on creating complex textures rather than simply buzzing your fingertips. The aim is to make a corrugated surface feel corrugated, a rough surface rough, a soft surface soft. The first products will ship by the end of this year and again Nokia is not Senseg’s first port of call. ‘We are currently working with a certain tablet maker based in Cupertino,’ reveals Senseg senior vice president Ville Mäkinen.”
That certain tablet maker from Cupertino that Makinen talked about is Apple.
Here’s what Senseg has to say about their technology on their website:
“With Senseg, touch screens come alive with textures, contours and edges that users can feel. Using Senseg technology, makers of tablet computers, smart phones, and any touch interface device can deliver revolutionary user experiences with high fidelity tactile sensations. Your customers will Feel the Difference with Senseg.”
It goes on to add:
“Unlike effects created by mechanical vibration and piezo solutions, Senseg is silent. Moreover, with Senseg application developers have precise control of the location and type of effect users experience. What’s more, Senseg technology scales from touch pads, smart phones and tablets to the largest touch screens without increasing manufacturing complexity.”
As Pocket-lint points out this would be a revolutionary feature and open some amazing possibilities:
If Senseg’s technology is used in the new iPad, it could open up a wave of new touchy feely games and iPad apps that really involve the user as well as meeting Apple’s usual high levels of wow factor. Imagine feeling your way through a game rather than just wiping your finger over a glass screen. It sounds incredible doesn’t it, and that’s before you start to think of the possibilities of helping those with poor sight use the Apple tablet a lot more easily.
Interestingly, when Pocket-lint asked Senseg if it is involved with the launch, they responded with the following statement:
“We won’t be making any statements until after Apple’s announcement”
Will Apple reveal such a revolutionary feature in an event invite? Charles Arthur, technology editor at the Guardian believes that Apple likes telling us the news before it happens. We just need to break the code.
What do you think? Have we broken the code or are we reading too much between the lines? We will find out in few hours.
We’ll be live blogging the event so don’t forget to join us at 10am PT or 1pm ET or 6pm GMT tomorrow. Until then you can check out what you can expect from Apple’s iPad 3 and Apple’s media event.
