On the one hand it would be nice if Apple could then use that to decrease the top/bottom bezel so we could have smaller iPhone’s with the same size screens. However I have yet to use an android device without a home button that I liked. Hopefully Apple can put something together like their wonderful trackpads which IMO are light years ahead of the other guys. On my “work” laptop I always carry a mouse because every HP, Lenovo (current) and Dell that I’ve used just has a crappy trackpad or other pointing device.
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Apple Looking to Eliminate Home Button on iOS Devices, Integrate Touch and Display Driver Chips?
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If they're getting rid of the home button then I'd say so, yeah. TouchID is vital to the ecosystem now, there's no chance they'd throw it out, and I really can't see them putting it on the back of the phone either.
If it is like Android devices software buttons, then no thanks.
Finally, with the home button out of the way, there will be more room for that physical keyboard we all know the iPhone needs.
Am I the only one that thinks these displays with zero bezel just look weird? I don't like them, especially the non symmetry.
force touch may actually make it so it can be built into the display.
Aw, don't you like it when you hit the "Home" button instead of the Space Bar?
I like software buttons taking up part of your already small 7" Android Tablet...
/sarcasm
Totally agree. I am saying this for years now. Remove the bezel on all devices including Macs !
For the screen sizes they got the 6/6+ are HUGE phones, mainly because of the need for a home button and Apple's desire to make the bottom part of the phone the same size as the top part resulting in huge smartphones with relatively small screens (compared to lets say a LG G4 or a Galaxy S6).
Getting rid of the home button resolves a lot of this.
Getting rid of the home button resolves a lot of this.
Year after year, the home button being removed has been a persistent rumor that has yet to even come close.
Personally, I think the phone needs a real tactile button that functions as the "oh siht" button that returns you to a familiar home screen. And by real, I mean not faked with force-touch. I mean real as in I know that I clicked it whether or not the phone is on and no software override can change the way it clicks.
Personally, I think the phone needs a real tactile button that functions as the "oh siht" button that returns you to a familiar home screen. And by real, I mean not faked with force-touch. I mean real as in I know that I clicked it whether or not the phone is on and no software override can change the way it clicks.
Apple might eliminate the home button on iOS Devices, because of « Force Touch », because when you think about it, the iPhone don’t need any « Force Touch », because the display is big enough to display all the informations which is not the case on the Watch ! So, I think that « Force Touch » on the iPhone will replace the home button!
yes please! I played with a LG G4 and just love the almost bezel-less design of that phone. I love how they can fit a 5.5" screen into that form factor. Makes the iPhone 6 Plus look ridiculous with all that bezel.
They could put the physical button on a slide out tray for emergencies. Otherwise, it stays hidden from view.
I wrote a post about this when the watch was originally shown;
So... the one thing that I'm most dissapointed by on the new iPhone are the large bezels at the top and bottom. Whilst it makes sense that they should be symmetrical from a purely aesthetic and adherence to design language point of view, they are so large simply because of the home button. It's a functional metaphor Apple are now using across a big range of devices - but it now seems they've reached a point where the physical design of devices (iPhones in particular) might be hindered by it.
But... After watching the videos for the AppleWatch it seems they might already have the answer. The face of the watch features not just a touch sensor but force sensors too. It can detect a 'deep' press as opposed to a simple tap or swipe.
With that in mind, could future iPhones simply do away with the physical home button, and turn the entire bottom bezel into a touch sensor with TouchID combined? It would mean having a larger TouchID sensor that spanned the bottom edge - integrated with those same force sensor layers from the watch.
It would mean the entire bottom bezel becomes a hit area for TouchID with a much larger reading surface - which should, in turn, make for more accurate readings.
Having a hit area for going 'home' could be accomplished by printing the small sqaure that used to exist on iPhone models back into the centre of the bezel. So, even though a deep press might take you home from anywhere along the bezel, there is some familiarity with the older physical buttons. The learning curve is shallow.
It could also open up the possiblity of lots of other gestures:
• Deep press in centre printed square - go home
• Long tap and hold anywhere across bottom - touchid - wake / unlock / apple pay
• Double tap anwhere - Siri
• Swipe left then right without lifting finger - launch fave app/function 1
• Swipe right then left without lifting finger - launch fave app/function 2
• etc etc
So it lets the top and bottom bezels get smaller whilst keeping symmetry, whilst adding more functionality to the device. Win Win.
The physical boundary between hardware and software is blurred even further.
So... the one thing that I'm most dissapointed by on the new iPhone are the large bezels at the top and bottom. Whilst it makes sense that they should be symmetrical from a purely aesthetic and adherence to design language point of view, they are so large simply because of the home button. It's a functional metaphor Apple are now using across a big range of devices - but it now seems they've reached a point where the physical design of devices (iPhones in particular) might be hindered by it.
But... After watching the videos for the AppleWatch it seems they might already have the answer. The face of the watch features not just a touch sensor but force sensors too. It can detect a 'deep' press as opposed to a simple tap or swipe.
With that in mind, could future iPhones simply do away with the physical home button, and turn the entire bottom bezel into a touch sensor with TouchID combined? It would mean having a larger TouchID sensor that spanned the bottom edge - integrated with those same force sensor layers from the watch.
It would mean the entire bottom bezel becomes a hit area for TouchID with a much larger reading surface - which should, in turn, make for more accurate readings.
Having a hit area for going 'home' could be accomplished by printing the small sqaure that used to exist on iPhone models back into the centre of the bezel. So, even though a deep press might take you home from anywhere along the bezel, there is some familiarity with the older physical buttons. The learning curve is shallow.
It could also open up the possiblity of lots of other gestures:
• Deep press in centre printed square - go home
• Long tap and hold anywhere across bottom - touchid - wake / unlock / apple pay
• Double tap anwhere - Siri
• Swipe left then right without lifting finger - launch fave app/function 1
• Swipe right then left without lifting finger - launch fave app/function 2
• etc etc
So it lets the top and bottom bezels get smaller whilst keeping symmetry, whilst adding more functionality to the device. Win Win.
The physical boundary between hardware and software is blurred even further.
No thanks. I like having a home button. It's a good safety net when software stops working or when the touch screen becomes unresponsive. Besides, how would you put your phone into recovery or DFU mode?
Apple is seeking to develop an in-house single-chip solution for integrating both the touchscreen and display drivers for mobile devices onto one chip, according to a new report today from Taiwanese site DigiTimes. The touch and display driver integration (TDDI) chips would also include "integrated fingerprint sensors", potentially allowing Apple to do away with the iconic home button.TDDI is a new advance in the industry, with Synaptics introducing the first such solution earlier this year. Synaptics created its new TDDI chips by leveraging its recent acquisition of chipmaker Renesas SP Drivers, combining Synaptics' touch technology chipset with Renasas' display technology. Apple reportedly explored acquiring Renesas SP Drivers last year but the talks failed to lead to a deal.
Synaptics had hoped its acquisition of Renesas SP Drivers and its TDDI chips would entice Apple to once again become a Synaptics customer, but today's report suggests Apple is pursuing its own solutions.
DigiTimes suggests Apple's solution could eliminate the traditional iOS device home button, presumably by integrating its functionality into the device's screen, something Apple has explored in previous patent applications. This could allow future iPhones to see increased display sizes with edge-to-edge screens or smaller form factors with the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays seen on today's models.
Article Link: Apple Looking to Eliminate Home Button on iOS Devices, Integrate Touch and Display Driver Chips?
I'd really miss the home button. I like the way you can use it to orientate your iPhone correctly in the dark. It's also easy to find when you want to go home.
I wonder if this would also mark the end of the headphone jack.
I've been using bluetooth headphones lately and they've gotten pretty great. Wouldn't be surprised if Apple was developing their own pair. Alternatively one could use a lightning adaptor for headphones if necessary.
I've been using bluetooth headphones lately and they've gotten pretty great. Wouldn't be surprised if Apple was developing their own pair. Alternatively one could use a lightning adaptor for headphones if necessary.
What makes you think that? What qualifications do you have?
I can easily imagine that Apple has been secretly working away at this in an R&D lab somewhere. Until you start mass producing it, it's pretty easy for Apple to work on something in total secrecy, especially if all it is is a screen that's able to read fingerprints (if someone happens to see something they shouldn't, all they would probably see is a screen.)
its the new Safari feels snappier or xyGate isnt it
Am I the only one that wonders what this will do for battery life? If you chopped off the bottom bit of the phone where the home button exists and made the screen edge-to-edge we're talking about at least a 10% reduction of the internal space and I know Apple crams every millimeter of space with battery that isn't taken up by something else.
For all the leaps in technology in the last 5-10-20 years, it still seems like battery technology as a whole lags far behind in speed of development. I apple's case this seems like the biggest stumbling block to real miniaturization of their products.
For all the leaps in technology in the last 5-10-20 years, it still seems like battery technology as a whole lags far behind in speed of development. I apple's case this seems like the biggest stumbling block to real miniaturization of their products.
Consider me skeptical. The iPhone 6 feature where you double-tap the home button to bring the screen down only works about 50% of the time.
I would need to see that feature improve a lot before I would even think about converting the actual home button to 'touch' instead of 'click' technolgoy.
I would need to see that feature improve a lot before I would even think about converting the actual home button to 'touch' instead of 'click' technolgoy.
Yeah there was one a long time ago. It would be awesome, because you eliminate the main problem with using video chat right now - you can never look people in the eyes, because if you are you aren't looking at the screen.