Sylvurphlame t1_jeadq0e wrote on March 30, 2023 at 4:05 PM

Reply to comment by kermityfrog in iPhone 15 Pro & Pro Max to be equipped with always-on “micro-processor” that will manage capacitive buttons and more even while the phone is powered down. by AppleXOS

They had to redesign cases anyway for the last several years due to model changes. What made you think this year would magically be different?

> get one with ugly cutouts

Or they just make them with conductive elements in the case buttons

kermityfrog t1_jeaewps wrote on March 30, 2023 at 4:13 PM

How will they conduct haptic feedback?

Sylvurphlame t1_jebp1bz wrote on March 30, 2023 at 9:06 PM

Okay. First, to be clear, do you understand the difference between capacitive and haptic? I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to know from which square we’re starting.

kermityfrog t1_jec16yi wrote on March 30, 2023 at 10:27 PM

Yes.

Conductive - transfer the signal from your finger without a physical button.

Haptic - vibration feedback from the haptic/taptic engine, so that you can feel that something has happened, similar to the clicking of a physical button.

If there is a button cover on the case, it may be easy to make it conductive to transfer the signal, but how can they also transfer the haptic vibration to your finger? Maybe it's possible, but it feels like added complexity for very few positive reasons.

Sylvurphlame t1_jec28ob wrote on March 30, 2023 at 10:35 PM

> how can they also transfer the haptic vibration to your finger?

Per the other reply, it doesn’t have to go directly to the finger. The entire iPhone conducts the vibration from wherever Taptic Engine(s) lives. The same way you can feel the haptics when you touch the top of the screen even though the engine is at the bottom of the iPhone.

kermityfrog t1_jec2ckz wrote on March 30, 2023 at 10:36 PM

Yeah, good luck feeling it through a bulky case like an Otterbox. I guess we will see.

Sylvurphlame t1_jec3tzz wrote on March 30, 2023 at 10:46 PM

If Otterbox cases stopped people feeling the haptics from screen touches, I think we’d be seeing the complaints. Or else the people using Otterboxes aren’t bothered by not feeling them.

kermityfrog t1_jec46kq wrote on March 30, 2023 at 10:49 PM

Otterbox cases don't have a thick rubber bumper on the screen surface itself.

Sylvurphlame t1_jec4kao wrote on March 30, 2023 at 10:51 PM

I bet you could feel it. It would be an r/MildlyInteresting experiment to have someone touch the screen while you held it.