Top iOS news of the week: Stylus with feelings, wireless charging, iPhone share up
This week in iOS we had news that the iPad is the top selling tablet, wireless charging could come to the iPhone, and Apple is looking at a stylus that can feel the screen.
The latest figures from IDC show a seven percent drop in global tablets sales compared to last year. Apple's iPad grabbed a healthy portion, 24.5 percent, of those lower sales. Samsung was in second place with 17 percent, followed by Lenovo, Huawei, and LG Electronics.
Apple's lead roll should give the firm little comfort as this represented a 17.9 percent drop in growth, according to IDC.
New Qualcomm tech could be used for iPhone wireless charging
Qualcomm announced its WiPower tech can now recharge devices wirelessly through metal. Since iPhones and iPads are constructed from aluminum, this tech could be used with them if Apple so chooses.
Apple hasn't seemed interested in wireless charging in the past, although that view may change now that the Apple Watch uses it.
Strategy Analytics reports that Apple global smartphone market share has risen slightly from 8.2 to 10.9 percent. Samsung's share dropped from 22.3 to 20.5 percent.
Of course, since it was recently estimated that Apple has a staggering 92 percent of profits in smartphones, market share doesn't really matter.
Apple patent: stylus that simulates surface texture
A recent patent application by Apple describes a stylus that uses haptic feedback to simulate texture on the screen's surface. It's not clear what the company might have in mind for such technology.
The haptic feedback described would allow the user to "feel" the stylus passing over different textures.
