Roger Fingas
One of the new technologies in iOS 9 is "predictive touch," an addition that may presage the launch of an Apple-made stylus in tandem with an anticipated jumbo-sized 12.9-inch iPad.
The new predictive touch feature was announced during this week's Worldwide Developers Conference as part of a "What's New in Cocoa Touch" session. In a video of the session, senior iOS engineering manager Jason Beaver explains that iOS 9 not only tries to reduce touch response times, but also uses curves, velocity, and acceleration to predict at where a touch input might be headed. Cocoa Touch is the core interface framework in iOS.
Predictive touch is typically considered an essential feature for serious stylus use, since it makes drawing faster and more accurate, Cult of Mac reported.
In May, AppleInsider learned that one of the main features of the long-rumored 12.9-inch iPad — which has colloquially become known as an "iPad Pro" — will be support for an Apple-made Bluetooth stylus. It's not clear if the stylus will be bundled with the new iPad or sold separately, but bundling it could help set the larger model apart from the rest of the iPad lineup.
iOS 9 is due to launch in the fall, which may suggest that the so-called "iPad Pro" will be announced in the same timeframe. Last year new iPhones were announced in September, while new iPads debuted in October.
Other anticipated features of the new iPad include Force Touch, a USB-C port, and some sort of NFC functionality. Rather than being used for authorizing Apple Pay transactions, as on iPhones and the Apple Watch, NFC may be used to pair a stylus automatically, or to allow it to be an Apple Pay receiving terminal at retail.
Charles Martin
Christine McKee
Oliver Haslam
23 Comments
Even without an iPad Pro, they did show that you can now draw in Notes, so predictive touch makes sense with or without a larger iPad and stylus, I would think.
I'm wondering what will be out first: iPad+ or SurfacePro4? Microsoft will be hitting back hard to recapture lost corporate Apps and sales.
The only thing that foreshadowed an iPad Pro was multitasking.
Honestly this might help force touch as well if it predicts the force put on as well.
I saw the drawing in notes and said to myself, "that happened because the stylus is coming because the iPad Pro is coming." This fits in that category as well. Then, there was the divided screen multitasking coming to exactly one model of iPad. If the iPad Pro is real and coming this Fall and has been delayed as much as it seems behind the scenes all of these tech additions came from work towards its release. Of course it can apply to other models and uses, but it makes more sense with the iPad Pro w/ stylus in mind.