iOS and iPadOS 13 Beta 4 Signals Death of 3D Touch, Rise of Context Menu (venturebeat.com) 47
Back in 2015, Apple introduced pressure-sensitive iPhone screens alongside 3D Touch as a potentially major hardware-software innovation, but barely supported the feature, leading to informed speculation that all of 2019's iPhones would lose their pressure-sensing hardware. This week's release of the fourth iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 developer betas appears to put the final nail in 3D Touch's coffin, tightening up the responsiveness of its replacement: Context Menus. From a report: If you aren't already familiar with 3D Touch, the concept was simple: slight, medium, and heavy pressure on an iPhone's screen could be recognized differently, such that a light press would open an app while a firm press in the same spot would instead conjure up a contextual menu. Apple sometimes nested additional "peek and pop" features within iPhone apps using the same pressure sensitivity, giving users extra options if they pressed down more on the screen.
Over the last few beta releases of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, Apple has been rolling out a replacement called Context Menus -- a change it set the stage for last year by releasing the iPhone XR without 3D Touch hardware. Back then, Apple said it was giving the XR an alternative called "Haptic Touch" that pulled up the same sort of contextual menus as earlier iPhones, but did so using two tricks: Instead of pressure, it sensed button press time, counting an extra split-second as a stronger button press, confirming the different intent with a "thump" from the phone's vibration feature. Now iPad users will get a version of Haptic Touch minus the haptics.
Over the last few beta releases of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, Apple has been rolling out a replacement called Context Menus -- a change it set the stage for last year by releasing the iPhone XR without 3D Touch hardware. Back then, Apple said it was giving the XR an alternative called "Haptic Touch" that pulled up the same sort of contextual menus as earlier iPhones, but did so using two tricks: Instead of pressure, it sensed button press time, counting an extra split-second as a stronger button press, confirming the different intent with a "thump" from the phone's vibration feature. Now iPad users will get a version of Haptic Touch minus the haptics.
I actually liked 3D Touch (Score:3)
I know I am one of the rare few, but I actually like 3D touch and use it constantly. I really like it for image manipulation and popping open new tabs in Safari. Also great for the control center for popping open the flash light brightness. Will be sad to see it go.
Re: (Score:3)
It seems to me as though this is one of those technologies that has to be ubiquitous for it to catch on.
I would think that they are giving up on it too early. Now that it is in these devices, why take it away? What is the harm in just leaving it there? I would think that adoption of the feature would increase over time as more devices support it and more apps use it (because more devices support it, and on and on).
Re: (Score:3)
I never use it much myself. I know about it, but it wasn't ever an intuitive approach to the problem. Unlike Right clicking, or two finger tap, pressing harder just never makes me think context menu.
Historically Apple has been really good at giving us intuitive actions to more advanced features. However this really wasn't one of them.
I am neither happy or sad to see it go away.
Re: (Score:2)
It seems to me as though this is one of those technologies that has to be ubiquitous for it to catch on.
I would think that they are giving up on it too early. Now that it is in these devices, why take it away?
Probably because the 3D touch screens are more expensive to make.
Re: I actually liked 3D Touch (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Actually, I would say the opposite. This is one of those technologies that has niche uses, but is mostly obnoxious if the user has to know or care whether they're hard-pressing. With a handheld device, expecting the user to carefully avoid pushing too hard is a recipe for mistakes and annoyed users. Heck, 3D touch doesn't work all that well for me even on a touchpad on a laptop that's sitting on a desk
It's not going though (Score:2)
I know I am one of the rare few, but I actually like 3D touch and use it constantly.
Only the force aspect of it is going away (maybe) on some devices.
This is actually the expansion of force touch to non force-touch devices, by using long-presses where you would have used force touch before.
It just means it takes slightly longer to activate the feature on devices that do not support hardware force touch.
The aspect I use more than anything is moving the text cursor by force touching the keyboard... that migra
Re: (Score:1)
The reason it has to go is that Apple never managed to get it working with acceptable yields for their strict tolerance levels on the iPad. The inconsistency between the two was a nightmare. That said, 3D Touch is the best way to switch apps, because the app switcher on iPhone X and newer requires a extremely unnatural and damaging thumb gymnastics.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It was an elegant solution if you knew how to do it, and it worked. Unfortunately discovery of features was painful, and it often led to ambiguity. It broke too many things that used to just work intuitively.
Hello 2007 (Score:1)
Back then, Apple said it was giving the XR an alternative called "Haptic Touch" that pulled up the same sort of contextual menus as earlier iPhones, but did so using two tricks: Instead of pressure, it sensed button press time, counting an extra split-second as a stronger button press, confirming the different intent with a "thump" from the phone's vibration feature. Now iPad users will get a version of Haptic Touch minus the haptics
So they've reinvented the long press? Brave.
3D Touch and Context Menu are both poor (Score:4, Insightful)
^^^ This Guy Has A Clue (Score:2)
So true.
Also, low or non-existent contrast "flat" themed interfaces are a gigantic step backwards in terms of interface usability.
I'm tempted to say that I'd rather have orange text on a black background CLI than the flat hidden control interfaces I'm seeing now. But, I suspect that I might be forgetting how lacking orange(green) on black was. Nonetheless, I'm hating today's Windows and Apple interfaces.
Re: (Score:2)
Screw the people that replied not understanding this shit. Apple understands it. Google understands it. Samsung understands it. To make pressure sensitivity work, it has to be standardized, and there needs to be an international tutorial campaign, something so expensive nobody is ever going to do if it also benefits their competitors.
Re: (Score:2)
Complete with
"This is how your turn it on."
"This is your music."
"This is your email."
"This is the web."
"And this is a call."
Its a tutorial.
Re: (Score:2)
iOS had long press long before 3D Touch... the article and in fact, apple itself doesn't claim that they invented the long press... that just you and a few other people who seem to really like being disagreeable.
What they did do was take away an existing feature because it wasn't getting the traction that they felt was necessary to justify the added cost and complexity of the devices that 3D Touch required.
So a really old feature available in Android? (Score:3)
What the summary describes sounds a lot like long presses, which are supported even by my really old Gingerbread phone. I press a link in the web browser and the web browser takes me to that link. I long press (counting an extra split-second as a button press) and I get a "Context Menu". Same deal with Android menu options. Press camera and get camera, long press camera and you get a context menu regarding the camera icon.
The summary makes it sound like Apple is just late to the right mouse button party again.
3D touch is better though (Score:3, Insightful)
What the summary describes sounds a lot like long presses
It is exactly a long press, which iOS has supported via gestures for a very long time also.
However where 3D Touch is better, is that instead of a long press, you get instant access by pressing down harder.
That's especially useful I find for something like the keyboard cursor moving gestures, on non-3D touch devices you long press to move the cursor - that is fine too, but being able to instantly move it by pressing harder is rather nice.
I don't think
I'm right, as evidenced by facts (Score:2)
Wrong, to press harder you also need to press longer.
Most humans are capable of pressing pretty hard instantaneously as they contact the screen. Try it - tap a table. Can you truly not choose to tap hard or softly? Somehow I doubt this as most humans do have actual motor control.
As I've used both, I actually know the facts here - a long press simply takes a little longer, after all the system has to have enough time to distinguish a long press from a tap. That's just common sense.
In practice (as in, ha
3D touch could have been good (Score:1)
Except that there was no indication to users who were unfamiliar with the system that (a) it existed and (b) what they could expect from slight, medium, or heavy presses. There's nothing inherently wrong with the idea but the execution was poor, which seems to be a running trend with Apple under Cook.
Really? (Score:2, Funny)
Hey, Apple!
The Settlers original DOS game had a unique button press... hold left button and tap right, or hold right button and tap left.
I think you should copy that 20+ years after the event too!
Hell, you could allow dual play by plugging in one PS/2 and one serial mouse if you really feel like it too!
Re: (Score:3)
Wow, I think everyone should copy that. Tablets, touchpads...
More than just simple... (Score:1)
At an after-event press conference, Tim Cook took to the stage to announce new lineups to the family of iPadOS and iOS gestures:
"Starting with iPadOS 14, users will be able to interact with their favorite Apple devices using innovative new gestures we've been hard at work inventing, resulting in truly delightful experiences.
Fans have long told us they like the ability to simply tap on the screen, and have iPhone or iPad respond in a friendly and intuitive way. We've taken our original tap feature and impro
This is new? (Score:1)