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Comment by taeric | Hacker News Reader

Wait, how? Haptic feedback lets you know you did something. A simple "bounce" is convenient when directly interacting; However, it does nothing to let you know what you did. To the point that it almost equivalent to the bouncing icon on your task bar.

That is, I expect the natural response to most of these feedbacks is to look at your watch. That not the case?

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It can help you differentiate between whether it register a quick tap on the touch screen vs a force press.

Not that they do it on the watch, but it could also have a ratcheting-type feel when you scroll to indicate a) that you're scrolling or b) how fast you're scrolling.

The Steam Controller actually used this to great effect.

Oh, I get that it can help. I actually really like the feature. What I didn't get, was how it could help you use it without looking. Touchscreens require you to know what is on the screen, pretty much period. Right?

Ever want to skip a song on your iphone while driving? You know basically where the buttons are, but not exactly and since there is no feedback you cant tell if you are hitting a button, or just empty screen. With feedback you could allow the user to drag their finger around until they located a button based on the feedback.

Isn't that why you just use the bluetooth capabilities of your car and then use the buttons on the steering wheel? :)

That said, I don't drive much. At all. I do bike, so I have used the similar feature of the headphones I wear. Never wanted to try and use the phone.

Not to denounce the tech but if the song skips I can be fairly confident I was accurate. Dragging my finger blindly around seems likely to have adverse effects.

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