One difference I see is that there are millions of hardware with no force touch, already in market. And they will still be around for years to come. Developers will not hide stuff behind force touch, but just use it as a convenient method to access common tasks, preview stuff etc. I think this convention will stick around.

It will just improve user experience for those who use it and will not make a difference for those who dont. Kind of like pro user features.

And Android got rid of the press-and-hold for 'right click' long ago. Because hidden menus and settings aren't easily discoverable.

> Force touch is like adding right click to mobile,

That's a really amusing way to phrase it, given Apple's long history with the single-button mouse.

Except it's nothing like right click at all other than that it brings up a menu on homescreen icons.

In case you need proof - consider the multitasking gesture of pressing a little harder at the edge of the display and pulling to the side to reveal the precious app on the stack. This is a totally naturalistic direct manipulation gesture - the additional force gives the feeling of traction needed to break the friction holding the current app in place. A masterpiece of interaction design.

Also, think about the peek and pop metaphor. Obviously no right click has ever afforded this, so that rebuts the claim, but also consider that peeking is a transient state that naturally and smoothly transitions into popping based on a natural and obvious muscular affordance.

How you are comparing this with clicking a mouse button is beyond me.

And I am not convinced this needed a special hardware functionality. Why can't a already existing gesture of 'long tap' do all those functions?