Via Geek.com:

Science fiction has inspired tech companies for years. Just look at how commonplace some of the equipment on the Starship Enterprise is in your home these days. In fact, Apple looked to a galaxy far, far away in the long process of developing the Apple Watch, a wearable device offering much of the functionality of an iPhone, but on your wrist.
In an interview with Wired, Apple vice president of technology Kevin Lynch explained that lightsabers came into play when the team was developing the taptic engine which vibrates in different ways on the wearer’s wrist to let them know which alerts are coming through. “Some were too annoying,” Lynch said. “Some were too subtle; some felt like a bug on your wrist.”
In the process of nailing down the right kind of alerts, the crew took sounds and converted them into movement. Along with bells and birds, lightsabers were on that list. Design Chief Jony Ive would meet with the interface and software teams to go over the various alerts. Wired points out that Ive was very specific about what he wanted and this process alone took over a year.
The Apple Watch also includes something called the Force Touch, but we’re not talking about “hokey religions” here, as Han Solo would say. Instead, this functionality allows for the user to press the screen harder to open hidden menus.

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