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The removal of the home button in the current form would allow for a 16:9 screen which in turn would be the exact room needed for another row of apps.
That larger screen definitely looks better to work with. The home button/back button can be next to the volume switch as well if they can't figure out how gestures would work on that screen. Those screen protectors would work out better too.:)
 
Made this pic to show two things:
Firstly, a 16:9 screen could still be done while keeping the home button.
Secondly, if the home button was to be removed from the bottom of the device, it could easily (well we say easily, Apple's engineers might not) be moved to the side of the device, allowing the height of the device to be decreased or the screen made even larger again.
 

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Just found this out and was blown away by it.
Anybody who has the 4.3 on their iPad do this.
Launch an app, and SLOWLY pinch with 4 fingers. The iPad will play the quit animation live, allowing you to peak at the home screen without ever shutting the app. This also works for switching apps.
Sorry if this has been mentioned already!
 
Fine with me on iPad. Horrible on iPhone, since I pretty often use it single handed.

iPhone - The one smartphone on the market where you need to hold it with both hands. No thanks.

If they're after screen space, I hope they're at least putting it in some comfortable position on the bezel edge.
 
Maybe!

I've never liked voice control personally, but different strokes for different folks..

I can see it causing problems though. Imagine in a Steve Jobs keynote he mentions the new iOS is available for download immediately - suddenly you have hundreds of voices from the audience - "Wake! Waaaaaake! Wake up iPad! Despierta!" :p

OMG!!!! u just made me laugh sooooooo hard!!! because it is sooo true! once steve says something is available immediately (whether a download or a product being sold) people start wishing they were sitting in the back of the hall and not the front, so they'll be the first out to get some :apple:love!
 
This is very unlikley. After all the complains of the ipod nano not having a home button.

Maybe if they eliminated the home button, but added a side button with the same functionality it could work.
 
Wow, there's a lot of iPhone users entrenched in their views of how something should work based on the way it's always been.

You have to remember that Apple isn't afraid to completely change their physical UIs. See iPod Shuffle, Nano, Touch, trackpads or many different attempts they've had had at mice (most of which are awful it has to be said).

Getting rid of the home button is a GREAT idea. Why?

1) they can use an on screen home icon that is always at the same location no matter which way up you're holding the iPhone/iPad.

2) they can change the home button graphic depending on context. If you're already in the home screen for example, it could become the task switch graphic.


For reference, there are already phones and tablets out there that have no home button. They work fine. eg. on the Nokia N900, 'home' is always the top left icon. It changes between an icon that goes back to the task switcher or if you're in task switcher already, to the new application launcher (which is kind of like iOS's app grids or 'home'). There are other UI paradigms on the N900 that are great but don't apply to iOS. The N900 runs a windowed UI instead of iOS's dumb fullscreen for everything paradigm. For instance, the N900 blurs out the background when you've a modal window in front. Clicking on the blur quits the current window. It's a little odd as windows often have no UI controls but no less odd than having to click 3 times on the home button or something equally daft.

To reset an n900, you hold the power button in for a long press and it pops up a menu asking what to do. This is the same as any Nokia for decades already and most other phones. The iPhone is the odd one out.

Voice commands with no button - just hold the 'call' virtual button in long enough. That's how Nokia does it on all their touch phones as well as letting you do it from the physical call button on phones that have them. The N900 is a bit odd here as it has no voice control at all, but then it's a tablet, not a phone really.
 
This might interfere with some Apps. Imagine a virtual piano. A chord of four or five keys might be misinterpreted by the system as "exit the App".

I wonder if the system would even detect a multi finger gesture every time when an App (example: game) causes high cpu load.

Christian
 
Made this pic to show two things:
Firstly, a 16:9 screen could still be done while keeping the home button.
Secondly, if the home button was to be removed from the bottom of the device, it could easily (well we say easily, Apple's engineers might not) be moved to the side of the device, allowing the height of the device to be decreased or the screen made even larger again.
Nice picture that would be an option. But i think a rather stay with the home button. ;)
 
Wow, there's a lot of iPhone users entrenched in their views of how something should work based on the way it's always been.

You have to remember that Apple isn't afraid to completely change their physical UIs. See iPod Shuffle, Nano, Touch, trackpads or many different attempts they've had had at mice (most of which are awful it has to be said).

Getting rid of the home button is a GREAT idea. Why?

1) they can use an on screen home icon that is always at the same location no matter which way up you're holding the iPhone/iPad.

2) they can change the home button graphic depending on context. If you're already in the home screen for example, it could become the task switch graphic.

Alright, I'm willing to concede as long as they have something equivalent that is fine and in fact you have a point (Though I would say for the reason of making it easier for people not so good with computers the button should not change graphics. You'd be amazed at how that could easily confuse some one who is computer illiterate. You'd also be amazed at how many computer illiterate are able to use the iphone. My mom has never really liked electronic stuff and she's been able to at least get the basics and is enjoying her new iphone).

In fact, this would be a great compromise between the two cause then it addresses the less physical things to break (Though I will say, i wonder why people don't clamor to apple to make a better home button).

But I think what a lot of people are discussing here is replacing the home button with a gesture which for reasons already stated (not good for one handed use, not good for people who aren't so familiar with computers, not having enough fingers) is not a good thing for usability.

But yeah, I could be for your idea instead. I still think it would make it a touch more awkward to use than a physical home button (cause touch screens aren't always accurate and if you don't touch them right they don't always respond right. Ask my mom who still had issues before I left my visit with her trying to hit large buttons on the iphone, she still hadn't quite got the hang of how to correctly hit the phone so that it responded correctly every time. I know it sounds simple but that's cause most of us here aren't computer illiterate and probably have been using touch screen for a while on top of that).
 
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Probably so for the iPad. Definitely not for the iPhone. Reasons are obvious. Common sense.
 
The home buttons is one of the only ways to differentiate the top from the bottom, and the front from the back (on the iPhone4). I think it would be bad if we lost it.
 
I like the physical buttons on my HTC Desire, they should make them smaller on iphone.
 
Wow, there's a lot of iPhone users entrenched in their views of how something should work based on the way it's always been.

You have to remember that Apple isn't afraid to completely change their physical UIs. See iPod Shuffle, Nano, Touch, trackpads or many different attempts they've had had at mice (most of which are awful it has to be said).

Getting rid of the home button is a GREAT idea. Why?

1) they can use an on screen home icon that is always at the same location no matter which way up you're holding the iPhone/iPad.

2) they can change the home button graphic depending on context. If you're already in the home screen for example, it could become the task switch graphic.


For reference, there are already phones and tablets out there that have no home button. They work fine. eg. on the Nokia N900, 'home' is always the top left icon. It changes between an icon that goes back to the task switcher or if you're in task switcher already, to the new application launcher (which is kind of like iOS's app grids or 'home'). There are other UI paradigms on the N900 that are great but don't apply to iOS. The N900 runs a windowed UI instead of iOS's dumb fullscreen for everything paradigm. For instance, the N900 blurs out the background when you've a modal window in front. Clicking on the blur quits the current window. It's a little odd as windows often have no UI controls but no less odd than having to click 3 times on the home button or something equally daft.

To reset an n900, you hold the power button in for a long press and it pops up a menu asking what to do. This is the same as any Nokia for decades already and most other phones. The iPhone is the odd one out.

Voice commands with no button - just hold the 'call' virtual button in long enough. That's how Nokia does it on all their touch phones as well as letting you do it from the physical call button on phones that have them. The N900 is a bit odd here as it has no voice control at all, but then it's a tablet, not a phone really.

So now every app, will have to accommodate a home button on the screen. That will be awful, and it will waste real estate. It will make games horrible because it will be so easy to accidentally press the button. Video will be smaller, and the home button will be a visual distraction. I really don't think a soft home button on the screen is a good idea. At least the 4-5 finger pinch gesture doesn't waste real estate on the screen.

As far as being able to use the iPhone upside down, and still have a home button on the bottom, that will be fine for some apps, but an iPhone only has a mic on the bottom, and the video camera/speaker at the top. It is important to keep the orientation correct when using some features (cell phone and facetime for example). If someone has been ignorantly using the phone upside down (because of the missing home button) it will be hard to answer the phone.
 
Keep both for now, I like having them both.
I can see on the new iPad there being a gesture based system from the bezel, similar to the pre. It would allow there to be a home button on each side. I always have thought that the home button has looked silly on the ipad
 
Keep both for now, I like having them both.
I can see on the new iPad there being a gesture based system from the bezel, similar to the pre. It would allow there to be a home button on each side. I always have thought that the home button has looked silly on the ipad

Isn't Rich Dellinger rumored to be working with Apple again now that he's left Palm? Maybe you're not too far off.
 
Absolutely stupid.

Countless times has an app, even Apple apps, caused the OS will freeze up and all touch gestures won't do anything. The home button saves me by allowing me to return home, open the multitasking bar, remove the offending app, and then restart the app. How will 4/5 finger gestures save me then if the OS doesn't even want to recognise my touches and I don't have a home button?

maybe they could reprioritize the os so that the process that monitors for a gesture would run at a lower level closer to that of the hardware home button.

The removal of the home button in the current form would allow for a 16:9 screen which in turn would be the exact room needed for another row of apps.

i like that a lot. would be good for video too
 
So now every app, will have to accommodate a home button on the screen. That will be awful, and it will waste real estate. It will make games horrible because it will be so easy to accidentally press the button. Video will be smaller, and the home button will be a visual distraction. I really don't think a soft home button on the screen is a good idea. At least the 4-5 finger pinch gesture doesn't waste real estate on the screen.

On the N900, if you're running a game or watching a video, the controls aren't shown on screen until you tap on the screen. ie. the same way Quicktime Player works on the Mac.

Angry Birds only shows the controls when you pause the game.


As far as being able to use the iPhone upside down, and still have a home button on the bottom, that will be fine for some apps, but an iPhone only has a mic on the bottom, and the video camera/speaker at the top. It is important to keep the orientation correct when using some features (cell phone and facetime for example). If someone has been ignorantly using the phone upside down (because of the missing home button) it will be hard to answer the phone.

It has a speaker at the top doesn't it? Same as an N900. I never pick that up upside down to answer a call.

Anyway, regardless of the home button, people still use the iPhone upside down. I believe the correct response is "You're holding it wrong". :D

upside-down-iphone.jpg
 
I have not read all the comments but here is my two cents (I am sure people may have brought these up).

Not having a home button on the iphone is a bad idea. First it makes it much easier to use just one hand with a home button.

How are you going to do a hard reboot, or what if the phone freezes then what? Will the top power button do a hard reset? A

lso what about games, I could easily see someone playing a game and do one of those new jesters to cause the phone to go back to the home screen or do something that was not intended. And lastly, the reason the iphone is so great for non tech people is because its easy to use.

Anyone even a child can see hitting the home button would turn it on, and take you to the home screen. You really think non tech people would be able to just pick up the phone and know what jesters to use to go back to the home screen? Its just going to cause way too much fustration for people, its just a bad idea.
 
Should also point that Apple screwed the pooch with the latest Nano by miniaturizing it the point of being worse than the previous gen.

Leave the Home button, Apple. Work on making the iPhone/iPad/iTouch more useful in other ways.

Agreed, and agreed.

The newest Nano is super adorable, but I don't think practical. And as for the home button, I NEED at least one REAL button...I just do, or I get nervous!:eek:
 
Well. Given the current state of the 4.3 release. There's no way they can rid the Home Button from the devices now. The options have a switch to turn on and off those 4-5 finger gestures. Which basically would make your iPad/iPhone pretty much unusable when those are turned off and you don't have a home button.
 
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It makes no sence for either iPad or iPhone. Because people can barley fit one finger on an iPhone keyboar letter, how will they fit 5 on the screen, plus there's a lot of room left over at the bottom, and if they fill that it will tho off the resolution. And alot of times when they make new iOS versions they mess up and you need the home button and lock button to re-start
 
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