Wednesday, November 23, 2022 2:48 pmNo Comments

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According to research firm Barclays, Apple supplier Cirrus Logic may have hinted that iPhone 15 Pro and the flagship iPhone 15 Pro Max are in line to get haptic buttons in 2023.

MacBooks with Apple’s Force Touch trackpad have long used haptics to act and feel like a mechanical trackpad, but with no moving parts in the trackpad itself. Apple’s Taptic Engine does all of the works.

Joe Rossignol for MacRumors:

In a letter to shareholders this month, the Texas-based semiconductor company said it continues to “engage with a strategic customer” and expects to “bring a new HPMS component to market in smartphones next year.” HPMS refers to Cirrus Logic’s high-performance mixed-signal chips, which includes haptic drivers for the Taptic Engine in iPhones.

On an earnings call with analysts this month, Cirrus Logic CEO John Forsyth narrowed down the timeframe for this new component coming to market to the “back half of next year,” which would line up with iPhone 15 Pro models launching next September.

In October, well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said iPhone 15 Pro models will feature solid-state volume and power buttons. Kuo said the devices will be equipped with two additional Taptic Engines that provide haptic feedback to simulate the feeling of pressing the buttons, without them physically moving, similar to the Home button on recent iPhone SE models or the Force Touch trackpad on newer MacBooks.

MacDailyNews Take: As anyone who’s used Apple’s Force Touch trackpad on a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro can tell you, it’s magical. It can also be a great aid for removing weight (no hinge mechanism needs) and for liquid ingress resistance.

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