Each iPhone displays an animated Betta fish — stars of the new 3D Touch-enabled wallpaper included in iOS 9 — that react to a customer's taps and deep presses. When 3D Touch is invoked, a ripple animation on iPhone's screen propagates outward from a user's finger and onto the display table. While the video's narrator refers to the installation as a "Force Touch table," the hardware does not appear to have touchscreen functionality built in, instead relying on input from what looks to be custom iPhone mounts.
In both stores, the iPhone demo tables are attended by at least two employees tasked with demonstrating 3D Touch functionality and helping customers try out the feature for themselves. They are also armed with microfiber cloths to keep things clean, as evidenced by one attendant who can be seen frenetically wiping down the large screen and its shiny metal encasing in the video below.
Apple introduced 3D Touch as a tentpole iPhone 6s feature in September. Integrating the technology required substantial internal changes compared to last year's iPhone 6, including the addition of an all-new pressure-sensing layer to iPhone's display assembly, a new flexible cover glass material and the inclusion of Apple's Taptic Engine. The company is focusing on 3D Touch in this year's iPhone ad campaign, touting the tech as a completely new mode of user interaction. The latest spot aired yesterday showing off "Peek and Pop" features for first- and third-party apps.