iPhone 7 Could Have Touch-Sensitive Home Button as Waterproof and Dustproof Rumors Persist

[uid15]

"No machine shall have moving parts"
- Arthur C. Clarke, City and the Stars

Does that apply to modes of transport, then? Wheels, engines, DOORS (how ya gonna get OUT unless the door opens?)
Seems like Mr Clarke was having an off day.
[doublepost=1461616586][/doublepost]

Physical buttons break, and take up more room internally

And touch surfaces crack FAR more readily than a tactile button becomes non-responsive. Your argument about room is irrelevant - so what? How thin and small does an iPhone NEED to get?

Source: I am an electronics engineer of 25 years.

 

[igorsky]

Just like the click wheel was a cornerstone of the iPod design. But Apple got rid of them. Designs evolve.

Not to mention that they are already hinting that the home button doesn't have much time left by including that new "swipe from left" action that triggers the springboard, and getting that patent for transforming the entire screen into a Touch ID surface.

 

[whsbuss]

Not sure what innovation in a smartphone is today. Someone mentioned that these are mature products, which by their very nature, only get tweaks or so. I'm in line for an upgrade from my IP6 and wireless charging is at the top of my list. However I am getting the 5.5" next go around.

 

[Pbrutto]

Wow an iPhone 7 rumor!

 

[XTheLancerX]

iPhone is kinda becoming more of a cluster**** with each rumor that drops here, hope they aren't all true.

So you will need an adapter to be able to use your old headphones, may or may not be able to charge while doing so.

The home button might be going away, and/or Touch ID is being separated from home button.

iPhone will be thinner, probably have an even smaller battery.

Camera will continue to protrude and/or have a really weird/ugly dual lens setup (That one rumor where it's one unified, wide piece of glass on the back corner is horrifying)

Just... why? For more thinness and waterproofing? Waterproofing is pretty sick but with all these weird compromises I dunno..

I think it would be cool if they somehow implemented Touch ID into the sleep/wake button if they separate Touch ID from the Home Button, I like that press a button and hold it there, *bam* phone is unlocked kind of thing. I doubt that would be viable at all considering how skinny that button will be though since Apple is still chasing after thinness...

These iPhone 7 rumors are scaring me, lemme tell you what. In 2014 I was just scared of the design but I could live with the rest. Now it's getting down to the fundamentals.

 

[Vanilla35]

Does that apply to modes of transport, then? Wheels, engines, DOORS (how ya gonna get OUT unless the door opens?)
Seems like Mr Clarke was having an off day.
[doublepost=1461616586][/doublepost]

And touch surfaces crack FAR more readily than a tactile button becomes non-responsive. Your argument about room is irrelevant - so what? How thin and small does an iPhone NEED to get?

Source: I am an electronics engineer of 25 years.

Case in point, apple removing the headphone jack.

Regarding the cracking, the point becomes moot when you factor in that the entire screen will be made of basically the same material. It is unlikely that just the home button in particular would crack, if the force was great enough to crack glass to begin with (whether Sapphire, or Gorilla glass).
[doublepost=1461625807][/doublepost]

I don't think Apple is going to use the physical aspect of this, instead a force enabled touchID that can sense direction of input. So not actually analog or moving, but same functionality.

Like context menu's of 3D touching an icon on the main screen (Jump-in menu) - if you were to be able to mimic a down flick instead of moving your thumb down to go through the available options? I see limited use for that.

 

[Dr.Chroma]

I like the physical home button, I've never been a fan of those capacitive buttons on android phones.

I agree. Touch capacitive buttons tend to operate normal and other times they almost require a hard reset. Much like Automobile manufacturers are using now, however, touch capacitive is less reliable in some respects versus a physical button you can push. Pro's and Cons to both.
[doublepost=1461628347][/doublepost]Digitimes is unpredictable at best. Either way, I will upgrade. I hope Apple can pull out some stops this year if they plan on using the same iPhone 6 chassis. It's hard to believe we are five months out already.

 

[Vanilla35]

iPhone is kinda becoming more of a cluster**** with each rumor that drops here, hope they aren't all true.

So you will need an adapter to be able to use your old headphones, may or may not be able to charge while doing so.

The home button might be going away, and/or Touch ID is being separated from home button.

iPhone will be thinner, probably have an even smaller battery.

Camera will continue to protrude and/or have a really weird/ugly dual lens setup (That one rumor where it's one unified, wide piece of glass on the back corner is horrifying)

Just... why? For more thinness and waterproofing? Waterproofing is pretty sick but with all these weird compromises I dunno..

I think it would be cool if they somehow implemented Touch ID into the sleep/wake button if they separate Touch ID from the Home Button, I like that press a button and hold it there, *bam* phone is unlocked kind of thing. I doubt that would be viable at all considering how skinny that button will be though since Apple is still chasing after thinness...

These iPhone 7 rumors are scaring me, lemme tell you what. In 2014 I was just scared of the design but I could live with the rest. Now it's getting down to the fundamentals.

Why do you think I've been talking so much **** lol. I'm actually OK with fundamental changes, as long as they are in the form of technological advancements (which some of these are not, tbh - moreso replacement mechanisms due to thinness objective), but the ugly design mishaps has completely tarnished my opinion of the company.

*I'm not a fan of the rounded design, but I'm not even talking about that. I'm referring to things like antenna bands, camera hump, iPad pro camera hump, reachability (LOL), and other poorly implemented components.*

 

[Dr.Chroma]

Can someone provide a list of all the mindblowing innovations in smartphones right now? All I see incremental improvements to make existing phones better. Nothing mindblowing though. What exactly do people want though? I'm sure pretty much anything you list could be labeled as incremental.

If you are seeking mind blowing innovations, you will have to wait for the alleged iPhone 8. Nothing to see here.
[doublepost=1461630928][/doublepost]

I don't think Apple is going to use the physical aspect of this, instead a force enabled touchID that can sense direction of input. So not actually analog or moving, but same functionality.

Maybe. But not certainly in this iteration. Your talking at least two years out. A lot of Research and Development.

 

[B4U]

And the Sony still manages to be waterproof with its ancient 3.5mm headphone socket

And don't forget the beautiful cameras.

 

[subjonas]

My cat "could have" wings, but she doesn't. The physical, concave home button is a cornerstone of the iPhone design and is easy to locate quickly. That IS NOT going away, Apple are not that stupid (even if YOU are) please stop spreading myths.

This may sound strange, but the physical home button was one of the major reasons I switched from android to iPhone. I was so sick of soft buttons. You can't beat the simplicity and dependability of a single physical concave home button, I say. I believed it 6 years ago and I believe it even more now.
On a related note, I also still like the bezels. I like having a good amount of gripping area where I know I can ALWAYS touch the phone without any possibility of triggering it. I feel like that's more of the reason Apple still keeps their bezels, because they serve a valuable purpose, as opposed to because Apple is complacent/stale/technologically challenged/etc. I know if they got rid of either the physical home button or the bezels, I'd be disappointed. Change is not ALWAYS good.

 

[Mildredop]

Stale and predictable... or iconic? There's a reason that car manufacturers have kept the same grille design for decades. Can you imagine a BMW without the kidneys?

But look at the Mark I 3 series compared to the current one. Some design cues remain, but the overall look of the car is completely different.

The iPhone has been essentially the same since the beginning. And I can't tell if someone's iPhone is brand new or three years old - they all look identical. Especially since Apple has re-released an old design in the SE.

 

[mi7chy]

Wow, a capacitive home button!

 

[igorsky]

iPhone is kinda becoming more of a cluster**** with each rumor that drops here, hope they aren't all true.

So you will need an adapter to be able to use your old headphones, may or may not be able to charge while doing so.

The home button might be going away, and/or Touch ID is being separated from home button.

iPhone will be thinner, probably have an even smaller battery.

Camera will continue to protrude and/or have a really weird/ugly dual lens setup (That one rumor where it's one unified, wide piece of glass on the back corner is horrifying)

Just... why? For more thinness and waterproofing? Waterproofing is pretty sick but with all these weird compromises I dunno..

I think it would be cool if they somehow implemented Touch ID into the sleep/wake button if they separate Touch ID from the Home Button, I like that press a button and hold it there, *bam* phone is unlocked kind of thing. I doubt that would be viable at all considering how skinny that button will be though since Apple is still chasing after thinness...

These iPhone 7 rumors are scaring me, lemme tell you what. In 2014 I was just scared of the design but I could live with the rest. Now it's getting down to the fundamentals.

While I appreciated that some of these rumored changes are not your cup of tea, you haven't really provided any examples of how this is all a "cluster****" beyond your own personal preferences. If I was a betting man, I'd say that in October you will end up very pleasantly surprised by the new phone, as all of us iPhone users (almost) always are.
[doublepost=1461679563][/doublepost]

If you are seeking mind blowing innovations, you will have to wait for the alleged iPhone 8. Nothing to see here.

I think his point is that there's nothing mind blowing anywhere at the moment. What is anyone else doing that's "mind blowing"? Smartphones have hit a plateau in general. Eventually science will allow for mind blowing stuff, but this is it for now.

 

[dk001]

This may sound strange, but the physical home button was one of the major reasons I switched from android to iPhone. I was so sick of soft buttons. You can't beat the simplicity and dependability of a single physical concave home button, I say. I believed it 6 years ago and I believe it even more now.
On a related note, I also still like the bezels. I like having a good amount of gripping area where I know I can ALWAYS touch the phone without any possibility of triggering it. I feel like that's more of the reason Apple still keeps their bezels, because they serve a valuable purpose, as opposed to because Apple is complacent/stale/technologically challenged/etc. I know if they got rid of either the physical home button or the bezels, I'd be disappointed. Change is not ALWAYS good.

Strange. Considering the number of top line Android devices that have a physical home button. That was your major change reason? Definitely strange.

 

[iThingsGurl]

Not to mention that they are already hinting that the home button doesn't have much time left by including that new "swipe from left" action that triggers the springboard, and getting that patent for transforming the entire screen into a Touch ID surface.

True. I believe it'd be better than the home button, for rather than looking for the tiny home button and adjusting the phone's orientation accordingly before we can wake it up, its better to swipe anywhere on the screen or unlock it by touching anywhere on the screen. If with passage of time, they are able to find better alternatives I'm all for it.

 

[T-R-S]

the only reason I bought a 6S was that my 6 was dropped and then was run over by a car in freak accident. I can;t imagine that happening twice.

 

[subjonas]

Strange. Considering the number of top line Android devices that have a physical home button. That was your major change reason? Definitely strange.

Yes, at the time there were no android phones that I knew of that had a single physical home button. They all had at least some capacitive buttons. Not sure if that has changed.

 

[dk001]

Yes, at the time there were no android phones that I knew of that had a single physical home button. They all had at least some capacitive buttons. Not sure if that has changed.

Moto. LG G series. Samsung Galaxy series Samsung Note series.
These are just the ones I am aware of and have had them for quite awhile.

 

[stanman64]

If they make the 7 thinner, which many rumors have pointed to possibly being the case, Apple will almost have to redesign the edges. I can barely pick up my 6S from a table without a case. Maybe taper the edges like the iPad so that there's a sharper-edged corner for grip. The roundness and form factor of the 6S with a thinner frame would be like trying to pick up a CD with boxing gloves on.

 

[StyxMaker]

umm.. you mean like the "water-proof" Apple didn't tell us, but users found out about ? That one? Good that Aple will now be open,, and maybie we'll start seeing more people tweeting under water. and lots of photos of gold fish

It may be water proof (resistant), but the touch screens don't work under water. I've tried with my Apple Watch.

 

[nj-morris]

Moto. LG G series. Samsung Galaxy series Samsung Note series.
These are just the ones I am aware of and have had them for quite awhile.

Moto and LG G series have always had software buttons. Pretty much nobody has a physical home button apart from Samsung. Don't see why nobody else does it.

 

[subjonas]

Moto. LG G series. Samsung Galaxy series Samsung Note series.
These are just the ones I am aware of and have had them for quite awhile.

Not familiar with those other phones but the Samsungs still have capacitive buttons.

 

[dk001]

Moto and LG G series have always had software buttons. Pretty much nobody has a physical home button apart from Samsung. Don't see why nobody else does it.

You are right. I was mixing in other button functions. Thanks.
[doublepost=1461771436][/doublepost]

Not familiar with those other phones but the Samsungs still have capacitive buttons.

Yes however those are additional functions. Namely "Back" and "App Manager". My Note 5 has a Home Button as does my son's Note 4. Other Galaxy phones have them. Wish my iPhone 6S+ had the "Back Button". Sweet feature.

Still, we digress. Hope you are enjoying your device.

 

[recoil80]

As long as the home button will be there it will have the current shape.
I'm just looking forward to buying an iPhone without the home button at all and with a tiny bezel, but I guess it is too soon