Apple, which is expected to release a new iteration of its iPhone device this summer, may add gesture technology to the gadget, according an analyst.
"We expect Apple to launch new iPhones in June that offer both a lower total cost of ownership and new functionality, potentially including gesture-based technology," , Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty wrote in a research note. "As we've highlighted in the past, the cost of device plus service plan is currently the biggest barrier to incremental demand in both mature markets like the U.S. and emerging markets like China."
Whispers of gesture-based technology making its way into the iPhone are not new, but, as AllThingsD points out, Huberty may be referring to recent patent filings by Apple that suggest some new usability advances. One includes a touch-sensitive bezel that will turn the outer edges of the device into a controller for applications, as well as camera-based swipe technology, giving users another avenue for control over the applications that have come to be the centerpiece of Apple's mobile experience.
The idea of gesture controls is part of a larger trend among handset makers to jazz up the features on the latest smartphones.
For more:
- see this AllThingsD blog post
- see this CNet article
- see this Dow Jones Newswires article
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