Apple is working to integrate Force Touch into the Magic Mouse

According to a new patent published yesterday, Apple is looking to bring Force Touch to its Magic Mouse pointing device.

The patent, titled “Force Sensing Mouse”, describes the functional mechanism of the new feature, as working in the same way as it already does on a MacBook.

Force Touch was first introduced to consumers in 2015, with the release of the 2015 MacBook Retina, better known as “The New MacBook”. Force Touch was then rolled onto all MacBook products as of late 2015, including the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

Force Touch on a Mac works by determining the amount of force applied on a single click, to enable the user to perform different actions depending on the force exerted.

With Force Touch consumers have been introduced to the concept of “long clicks” and “short clicks”, in addition to the traditional single and double click.

By acquiring this patent, Apple seems to be determined to extend Force Touch on to all devices. By that token, the Cupertino tech giant started early on by implementing Force Touch in the Apple Magic Trackpad 2, a logical first step towards getting Mac users familiar with the feature.

Design changes

Also according to the schematics provided by the patent, it doesn’t seem that there will be substantial changes, is any, to the appearance of the new Magic Mouse.

The last iteration of the Magic Mouse was introduced in October of last year, along with a refresh of other accessories like the MAgic Trackpad and the Magic Keyboard, however, Force Touch was not part of that refresh. The Magic Mouse 2 featured a new battery capable of recharging through a Lightning port.

Real-life implementation

While it’s true that Apple has put into production more patent concepts in recent years than it has up until three or four years ago, there is no guarantee that Apple will actually go ahead and upgrade the Magic Mouse 2 with Force Touch. With that said, the possibility is real, as Apple’s priority is on ensuring that consumers are accustomed with as many features and functionalities as possible, across as many devices as possible. We wouldn’t be surprised if a new Magic Mouse with Force Touch were to hit the shelves as early as this Fall.