Rumor: Senseg Touchscreen Texture Tech May Be the “Touch” in New iPad

Apple has something for us to see today. And touch. Could that “touch” be textured touchscreen technology from Senseg?

I didn’t think their technology was mature enough for iPad-level deployment, but according to Pocket-Lint, Senseg, a company developing textured touchscreen technology, has hinted that a certain company in Cupertino may be a client and may have something to show us today. That company of course would be HP Apple.

The quote obtained from Senseg for the Pocket-lint piece is “We won’t be making any statements until after Apple’s announcement.” The implication is that there will be something different to talk about after the announcement. In addition, they previously stated “We are currently working with a certain tablet maker based in Cupertino.” It’s possible they’re just riding the coattails of today’s Apple event to get some press, but that would make for a pretty ridiculous letdown if they weren’t involved.

The Guardian also speculated that Senseg’s technology might be used in the new iPad HD/iPad 3, but their quest for confirmation returned a flat “My comment is no comment”.

Senseg is developing haptic technology that can provide a tactile sensation via electrostatic feedback when working with flat touchscreens. Per their website:

Senseg turns touch screens into Feel Screens. With Senseg touch screens come alive with textures, contours and edges that users can feel. Using Senseg technology, makers of tablet computers, smart phones, and any touch interface device can deliver revolutionary user experiences with high fidelity tactile sensations. Your customers will Feel the Difference with Senseg.

(Check out our previous report on Senseg: “New Smartphone Technology Allows You to ‘Feel’ Your Display”)

The ability to feel tactile sensations through a touchscreen would bring the experience to a whole other level. Aside from making interactive games more interesting, it could make on-screen keyboards more like real keyboards and give on-screen controls a level of resistance that mimics physical ones. Think “slide to unlock” where you can actually feel what you’re sliding and how it unlocks.

Of course, this is all speculation right now, but the fact remains that we don’t know what that “And touch” part from Apple’s event invite means. It could simply mean they’ll have new iPads available for reporters to handle. It could mean something more. I admit that I also wondered about this and did look into Senseg as a possibility, but it looked to me like their technology wasn’t ready for deployment, at least not on the scale necessary for an iPad launch. Guess we’ll see if they prove me wrong.