Well they are out of luck, Apple Inc. is already much further than that. A patent released a few weeks ago, already goes far beyond that.
By beyond I mean, that Apple has described a method of providing tactile feedback for touchscreen using low powered piezoelectric actuators that can be activated on command. By fluctuating the frequency of these actuators, the user will "feel" different surfaces as their finger moves across it. As an example, a device might display a virtual click wheel which vibrates at a different frequency at the center. Users will sense the difference and use the click wheel without looking at it.
Read more on this on MacRumors.com: http://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/02/haptic-feedback-fingerprint-identification-and-rfid-tag-readers-in-future-iphones/
By beyond I mean, that Apple has described a method of providing tactile feedback for touchscreen using low powered piezoelectric actuators that can be activated on command. By fluctuating the frequency of these actuators, the user will "feel" different surfaces as their finger moves across it. As an example, a device might display a virtual click wheel which vibrates at a different frequency at the center. Users will sense the difference and use the click wheel without looking at it.
Read more on this on MacRumors.com: http://www.macrumors.com/2009/07/02/haptic-feedback-fingerprint-identification-and-rfid-tag-readers-in-future-iphones/