Most of the time it is for me, to go back to the home screen. For multitasking I still use the button, the 4 finger swipe up doesn't work well for me.
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Home button becoming unnecessary?
- Thread starter vincenz
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I rarely use gestures... habitual from my iPod Touches, iPhone and first gen iPad for far too long. My first instinct is to hit the home button every time.
IMO, the ONLY reason people are trying to rationalize removingthe home button is because Jobs said he doesnt like buttons. But if he never gave an opinion on it I highly doubt anyone would be fighting for its removal.What the argument for NOT having a home button if some people prefer it? It's not like it gets in the way of anything. Unless taking it away makes the bezel smaller, I can't see what the issue is if it stays. Kind of a pointless discussion really.
Tony
There definitely is something to reducing buttons because many devices have "too many buttons". But In the real world we use buttons all the time and iOS would probably benefit from one or two more rather than any less.
Anyway, I don't mind if they remove it just as long as they implement their "smart bezel" patent. But if they do it and force us to rely purely on gestures then I feel it's going for aesthetics over function.
The Home button isn't going anywhere, any time soon.
It makes things so intuitive, even toddlers understand, that pressing it brings you back to the beginning.
It makes things so intuitive, even toddlers understand, that pressing it brings you back to the beginning.
True, it is a bit of an oxymoron that devices which are most famous for touch, should rely on a physical button.
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The idea of the button itself was absolutely brilliant from both the engineering and UI points of view:
At the time, many smartphones had a Reset button hidden on them somewhere in case the phone's code got hung in a loop.
Apple must've been stymied at first. After all, iOS and its apps were new and still buggy (witness Safari crashes). Users would've become quite familiar with a Reset button. That kind of experience simply would not do for the iPhone.
Their solution was sheer genius. Put a hardware interrupt (basically, a semi-Reset) button front and center, and make the user click it all the time! To seal the deal, never put up an error message if an app crashes; instead just fall back to the homescreen. Fantastic! The user was constantly bringing the OS back to a known condition, and software failures were mostly kept hidden.
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The UI benefit of a single button is also obvious for new smartphone users. The downside was that Apple had to overload that button with multiple clicks that have had shifting meanings over the years.
In any case, Apple cannot remove it. Too many people rely on the Home button as their mental anchor.
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The idea of the button itself was absolutely brilliant from both the engineering and UI points of view:
At the time, many smartphones had a Reset button hidden on them somewhere in case the phone's code got hung in a loop.
Apple must've been stymied at first. After all, iOS and its apps were new and still buggy (witness Safari crashes). Users would've become quite familiar with a Reset button. That kind of experience simply would not do for the iPhone.
Their solution was sheer genius. Put a hardware interrupt (basically, a semi-Reset) button front and center, and make the user click it all the time! To seal the deal, never put up an error message if an app crashes; instead just fall back to the homescreen. Fantastic! The user was constantly bringing the OS back to a known condition, and software failures were mostly kept hidden.
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The UI benefit of a single button is also obvious for new smartphone users. The downside was that Apple had to overload that button with multiple clicks that have had shifting meanings over the years.
In any case, Apple cannot remove it. Too many people rely on the Home button as their mental anchor.
Yeah. Actually I read an article why it is necessary and it's not for people who are complaining about not wanting one. A home button is what makes using the ipad/iphone intuitive for people who aren't even that computer literate. Gestures are great once you learn them to be very fluid, but you still have to learn them. And some people really don't learn computer stuff easily. The button is very intuitive without much explanation. Most people can pick up the device and quickly learn how to use it.
Trash me for saying this. But the Blackberry Playbook always used gestures for everything. And only one finger for all functions such as the iPad's home button. I have a Playbook and this is something well liked by that fan base.
Without the home button I haven't figured out how to do two common tasks:
1.) Screenshots, as someone else mentioned.
2.) When you delete an application by holding an icon until they start wiggling, to stop the wiggling requires the home button.
1.) Screenshots, as someone else mentioned.
2.) When you delete an application by holding an icon until they start wiggling, to stop the wiggling requires the home button.
To stop the wiggling, simply touch any part of the screen that isn't the multitasking tray.
Hmm...Doesn't work for me. I can cancel the wiggling for apps in the multitasking tray by a 4 finger swipe down, but not when the wiggling is for icons on the home screen.
Here are some of the arguments for removing the Home Button
One less moving part that can fail.
So the Bezel can be narrower.
Cleaner look.
More space inside for other goodies.
That's all I can think off. Feel free to add to this list.
The only reason (to me) that the home button seems bit incongruous is that the iPad is much more a non orientated device. The iPhone is orientated portrait because it cues you to hold it that way to take a call, but the iPad critically actually rotates the home screen to which ever way you want to hold it.
Apple may have designed it to appear as a portrait device, but plenty of people never take it out of landscape orientation. This non specific orientation must be a major sticking point in the Industrial design labs. It also means the home button is much less likely to be in a common location, since you just pick up the device and hold it whichever way.
If any device did remove the home button tomorrow, from a hardware perspective the iPad would be the prime suspect.
Apple may have designed it to appear as a portrait device, but plenty of people never take it out of landscape orientation. This non specific orientation must be a major sticking point in the Industrial design labs. It also means the home button is much less likely to be in a common location, since you just pick up the device and hold it whichever way.
If any device did remove the home button tomorrow, from a hardware perspective the iPad would be the prime suspect.
How about a design similar to the Macbook trackpads?
The home button becomes a capacitive gesture area. Flick up for multitasking tray, down for notification center, left and right to switch apps, and tap to go home.
You could also physically click in the home button to go home, just as before.
If you want to keep clicking the home button (and maybe even turn off home button gestures) you can.
If you want to tap the button and save it from wearing out you can do that too.
Maybe in a generation or two the physical click goes away, allowing the gesture area to move (with a lighted indicator behind it) to whichever side of the iPad is most appropriate for the current orientation.
PS: All of the arguments about the specific things that currently require the home button are silly. If Apple decided to remove it they would consider all of those things and provide alternate solutions.
The home button becomes a capacitive gesture area. Flick up for multitasking tray, down for notification center, left and right to switch apps, and tap to go home.
You could also physically click in the home button to go home, just as before.
If you want to keep clicking the home button (and maybe even turn off home button gestures) you can.
If you want to tap the button and save it from wearing out you can do that too.
Maybe in a generation or two the physical click goes away, allowing the gesture area to move (with a lighted indicator behind it) to whichever side of the iPad is most appropriate for the current orientation.
PS: All of the arguments about the specific things that currently require the home button are silly. If Apple decided to remove it they would consider all of those things and provide alternate solutions.
With the new 4 finger swipe gesture I find myself doing that more so than hitting the home button. Actually the swipe is more useful and faster for switching amongst active apps.
I consciously try to minimize the use of the home button as I plan on keeping my iPad for at least 2-3 years and don't really want to wear it out. I know I might be a bit paranoid, but still...
I consciously try to minimize the use of the home button as I plan on keeping my iPad for at least 2-3 years and don't really want to wear it out. I know I might be a bit paranoid, but still...
I guess it all really depends on the user. I mean personally I like having the gestures. It just feels more fluid and it takes less effort than to press the home button. But for those who still like to use it, the option is still there. 
That would only be an issue for people that actually need it.
I don't believe the home button is keeping the bezel as large as it is. The bezel's size is likely a result of what is most comfortable to hold and so that your fingers don't inadvertently touch the screen. Apple could very easily reduce the size of the bezel (ala iPhone) while keeping the home button if bezel size was an issue.
Thats true. Though I've never been one to choose form over function...
The button is just a tiny little thing, I can't imagine Apple is actively sacrificing other "goodies" to fit it in.