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This article was published on January 15, 2010

Report: Touch-Sensitivity For New iPhone Casing


Report: Touch-Sensitivity For New iPhone Casing

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An analyst and member of Goldman Sachs Group’s Asia Technology Hardware team has stated that the new 4G iPhone model may actually feature a touch-sensitive casing, to the tune of the Apple Magic Mouse’s upper shell, Bloomberg reports.

While it may seem strange at first glance for a Goldman Sachs analyst to be making revelations about new technology in current or upcoming Apple products, in this case it may not be. Apple’s slowly been changing its stance in the field of mergers and acquisitions over the last couple of years, and part of that is the recent hiring of Adrian Perica — a Goldman Sachs investment banker — to help them in their financial dealings with smaller companies that catch Steve’s eye.

The analyst, Robert Chen, while refusing to declare or even hint at his source, said that not only would the phones indeed by released by June of this year, as we earlier posted, but also reinforced the notion that the next iPhone will sport a 5-Megapixel camera. He then said it may be equipped with a touch-sensitive rear casing — citing the hard, semi-translucent plastic casing the Magic Mouse currently uses.

According to Chen, production of the phones should start in early April, with wide-release availability to customers by June. The idea of a touch-senstive backside to the iPhone is an interesting one, if not a complete head-scratcher. I have to admit, I like the idea of more easily scrolling a web-page with one hand, but I dislike the idea of a phone that’s already touchy paying attention to every touch of my fingers, on both sides of the phone. If Chen’s right, then we’ll just have to see how that pans out, and if he’s wrong — the other, more normal upgrades are just fine for now.

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