Rumor: New haptic feedback touchscreen bound for the iPad 3

Is this the real secret of the iPad 3 invite? According to a report by The Next Web’s Matthew Panzarino, Apple could be cooking up something incredible for the iPad 3.

That incredible secret — one that has ironically been sitting under everyone’s nose the entire time — is a special touch feedback technology that was first revealed where? Yep, Cupertino, California.

Panzarino reasons that while the currently existing haptic feedback technology employed by Android products and the like are pretty uninspiring, this new technology could permanently change how we expect to interact with touch screen devices

Imagine being able to discern the difference between the feeling of sandpaper as opposed to wood; or an ice cube as opposed to grass; not just meaningly vibrations, but really being able to tell the difference between these textures using nothing but touch. Sounds amazing, right? Well Apple could very well have something like that in store.

A company by the name of Senseg — who ironically (or perhaps not so ironically in hindsight) unveiled their first piece of tech in Apple’s back yard — has developed such technology, and it’s apparently ready for prime time according to a video demonstration.

The important thing to remember here is that Seneg’s tech requires no screen mods and no moving parts, which sounds very Apple-esque. It utilizes electrostatic attractive force between the finger and the screen, which gives a sensory perception of various textures. There is no movement, it’s altering the friction between the user’s finger and the screen. Amazing.

This totally explains Apple’s “…And touch.” comment on the iPad 3 event invitations that went out last week. Everyone’s seen and knows how great a Retina display will be, but I think it’s safe to say that no one’s completely grasped the implications of such touch screen technology on a consumer device. This could be a game changer, folks.

I highly recommend you head over to The Next Web to take in the whole story, as they offer a pretty compelling argument as to why this feature may make the cut for today’s unveiling.

What do you think?