I wish Apple would replace the physical Home button...

[TrenttonY]

I would rather they get rid of the volume rockers and silent switch on the side. Those are so annoying when you accidentally hit them and the UI takes over, and they feel uncomfortable when holding the iPhone both in portrait and landscape. Ever since they switched from the square design iPhone and made them bigger, I've noticed this happens 2x more. All those features are easily accessible with Control Center anyways.

 

[Rogifan]

Some Android phones can sense when you pull your phone out of your pocket and turn the screen on. Apple could do the same with the motion co-processor so it would use hardly any power. If and when they can incorporate the fingerprint scanner into the screen, all you would have to do is grab your phone out of your pocket like you normally would and by the time you're looking at it, the phone would be unlocked without you pressing a single button.

With multitasking gestures, Apple could easily get rid of the home button on the iPad once they figure out how to use the screen for Touch ID. The only other reason you need a home button on an iPad now is for screenshots, recovery/DFU, and force restart, but Apple could easily replace the home button in these situations with one of the volume buttons.

I just hope whatever Apple does is done thoughtfully and is not just some band-aid solution like what Apple did for when you're in one app and click on something that takes you to another. Getting this absolutely right is more important than pleasing the few techies bored with the current iPhone design and obsessed with the top and bottom bezels.

 

[Channan]

Take my home button and i'll find another device.

It provides tactile feedback with regards to the orientation of your device and the touchID sensor. Unless they move it to the back of the phone, but then that means you can't use it resting on a flat surface.

So... i think your proposal is a horrible idea.

2c.


edit:
"once they figure out how to use the screen for touchID".

that's not a trivial problem to solve...

It obviously is, because no one has done it yet.

Also, if the screen would flip in any direction, it wouldn't matter what orientation your iPhone was in. That would benefit people who want their headphone jack on the top as well.

 

[617aircav]

Home button is here to stay. I don't see any benefit of removing it. None.

 

[Qbnkelt]

No need to be so sensitive. It's OK to prefer Apple's old school approach to smartphones. Millions do. Located just above the clunky slow home button is a modern touch sensitive screen that reflects Apple's choice to mix old and new technologies on the same phone...

For those of us who prefer faster contemporary phones.. we've got several very nice choices. On my splendid Nexus 6P, both the gorgeous 5.7" display and the "buttons" below it are the exact same capacitive technology. Faster, smoother, and impervious to the elements, there's nothing but benefits.

Thanks Google!

Don't be obtuse.

I object to the last line of the post. The remaining opinion is just that. An opinion.

Keep your Nexus. And have good joy of it. Keep Android.

I prefer iOS.