APPLE IS PLANNING to license vibration technology from Immersion, according to rumours making their way around Silicon Valley.

The buzz is almost certainly related to the fact that Immersion brought in Clent Richardson, a former Apple exec, to be its new CEO.

Immersion owns patents on all sorts of vibration technology - which the company terms 'haptic feedback'. Microsoft and Nintendo have already licensed the technology for their game console controllers, and Sony made waves by refusing to strike a deal - resulting in the PS3 lacking rumble in its joypads until recently.

The speculation is that Apple wants to add better vibration features to the Iphone, which currently just has a standard vibrate ring function. Apple would almost certainly want to improve the feedback associated with its much-maligned on screen keyboard, the chief complaint about which has been the lack of feedback when pressing keys.

Samsung previously used haptic touch feedback in its latest range of mobiles, to enable a pulse to be felt under the 'soft key' being used. Nokia has also struck up a deal with Immersion to include similar tech in its Iphone competitor phone, the Tube 5800.

Will this tech make it into the next-gen 3G Iphone, so far rumoured to arrive in June? Well, either Apple already has the technology working and just needs the patent license - in which case, the answer is 'probably' - or it is still at the speculative stage, in which case, the answer is 'no'.

Like good little Cappuccino-watchers, we shall have to wait and see what the great El Jobso decrees. µ