Click to enlarge |
The report notes that Apple's iPhone uses a different technology called projected capacitance, which has enabled the multi-touch functionality that had been lacking in resistive-based touch panels.
A capacitive touch screen panel is coated with a material, typically indium tin oxide that conducts a continuous electrical current across the sensor. The sensor therefore exhibits a precisely controlled field of stored electrons in both the horizontal and vertical axes - it achieves capacitance.
However, projected capacitance is just one of about a dozen technologies vying for market dominance.
And each technology has advantages and drawbacks. Some, like resistive touch technology, have been available for many years while others, like digital waveguide, are relative newcomers improving on previous generations.
