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Ipad 2 = No home button?

M

Messy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 5, 2010
426
13
Morning chaps,

Only reason i ask, we have the new iOS beta at work (We write software, including iPhone/iPad apps etc).

It has the same swipe gestures as the MBP's etc, ie 4 fingers swipe up and it minimises everything on screen, there fingers swipe to go between apps etc.

Will it have no home button then? As from what i can see from the beta, you can do almost everything without it.
 
Apparently Jobs didn't want a home button on the original iPhone so I think it's possible that the new iPad will come without one. But I think this would be a shame; the home button is an important root helping new users understand and use the device without being confused. It's a sort of escape rope; a get me out and take me home.

I can't imagine the iPhone's home button being replaced with 4 finger gestures on the basis that its screen is too small. But, Apple is creative, so I wouldn't be surprised if they come up with an alternative to the button. I just hope it's as simple and elegant.

I think it's most likely that the next generations will include a button and the 4 finger gestures. I wonder if Apple will soon use some of its interface patents (camera motion sensing, interactive cases...) on new iOS devices.
 
If there's no Home button, won't the iPad use up more energy in standby as the touchscreen will have to remain active in order to detect input?
 
Of all the rumors and conjecture, the missing home button is the one I least find convincing.

The home button acts as a point of reference for people first using the device.

Add restore/dfu and hard reset functionality, I doubt it's going anywhere.


It's an iconic feature of IOS device and almost as much an apple branding feature as the logo on the back.
 
spammerhamster said:
can you do DFU mode without it? or a hard reset?
Click to expand...

Same way it is on other devices, use the power button/vol combo to put it in DFU mode.

I would be surprised to see this Gen without one but Gen3 it could be gone.
 
While I like the gestures alot, I think removing the home button would be a mistake as it would make the iPad less child friendly.

My 2yr old loves playing with the educational apps on my iPad and has no problem using the home button to exit and load another app .

I'm pretty sure she wouldn't grasp using gestures to get 'home' and would more than likely accidentally trigger them causing frustration.

Sure the iPad isn't aimed at kids, but I'm not the only person who's child loves it!
 
No home button = smaller bezel and smaller case with the same size screen = lighter and more portable = win.
 
thesmoth said:
No home button = smaller bezel and smaller case with the same size screen = lighter and more portable = win.
Click to expand...

This. Plus, the home button looks ugly and tacky on the iPad. It makes it look like a giant stretched out iPhone rather than a Tablet.

Look at the Motorola Xoom. It has no home button. Almost all of the tablets for Andriod Honeycomb (the OS they've built centered around Andriod tablets) will not have a home button.

iPad users aren't any stupider than Andriod users, if Andriod users can get along just fine without any physical buttons on their tablets, then so can iPad users.
 
if apple were to remove the home button, they could potentially add its functionality to the sleep/wake button i.e holding the button for 2 seconds would sleep the device and a quick press would return the device to the home screen. The only problem would be bringing up the multitask tray. They could make it so a four finger swipe upward could bring it up but apple is really strict about making big changes to OS functionality because they feel it could potentially confuse users but then again you never know with apple:rolleyes:
 
MacRumorUser said:
Of all the rumors and conjecture, the missing home button is the one I least find convincing.

The home button acts as a point of reference for people first using the device.

Add restore/dfu and hard reset functionality, I doubt it's going anywhere.


It's an iconic feature of IOS device and almost as much an apple branding feature as the logo on the back.
Click to expand...
+ 1. Why would Apple remove it? Even John Gruber disagrees.
 
iPad 2 keeps home button?

The images of a new iPad 2 case posted at AppleInsider seem to indicate the home button will continue to live another day! Look carefully at the bottom of the case...


appleinsider.com/articles/11/01/18/exclusive_chinese_supplier_floating_ipad_2_case_with_possible_sd_card_and_mini_displayport.html

ipad2case017111.001.jpg
 
sootie said:
The only problem would be bringing up the multitask tray. They could make it so a four finger swipe upward could bring it up but apple is really strict about making big changes to OS functionality because they feel it could potentially confuse users but then again you never know with apple:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

That's the point of this thread. Apple have added just that to the betas of 4.3.
 
my mothers main reason for owning the device is that stupid home button. with regular computers she gets confused and lost. shes always afraid she is going to do something wrong or screw it up. with the apple device she knows no matter what happens or how lost she is she can just hit the home and get out of it. she uses it more then a computer now because its so easy for her to reset. I think it would be a massive mistake removing it.
 
If they take off the home button I'm gonna be PO'd. Life without a home button is... meaningless. LOL. Kidding. but it does help alot and I don't like swiping to trigger actions.
 
chiefroastbeef said:
The home button has been on many iProducts for many years, it is gonna look weird for a while without it... Like a person whose missing s nose..
Click to expand...

I agree the home button besides of the apple logo is one of the apple's trademark to their products. Bu who knows maybe Steve is up to something :confused:
 
Has anyone played with gestures on their iPad? The pinch to home screen is pretty convenient.
 
I'll bet anyone that future iPads don't have a hard Home button. Why? As said before that hole in the glass is expensive, and a hard home button never rotates with the UI. In Android 3.0 and later, The Home/Back/etc buttons are always on the bottom left no matter which way you've oriented the screen. 1/2 the time with my iPad2 I'm reaching rudely across the glass to hit Home.

Also consider how well the magnetic covers work to turn on the screen. Then throw in that there could be several other actions the iPad senses to turn it on as well. Who needs the old Home button, really?
 
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