Cupertino tech giant Apple will continue to experiment with the iPhone design in the future as it has big plans in store. Citing a reliable source, Apple Insider has said that future iPhones will not have a physical home button, will feature an opening path for new tech integration and a massive redesign. However, fans should not hold their breath, as the changes are not expected to take place at least for the next two years.
Lack of home button on an iPhone raises questions on how Apple plans to incorporate various functions that are currently carried out by the physical button on the device.
The home button in the latest iPhones has integrated Touch ID to unlock the device or validate payments. In addition, the physical button at the bottom of the screen helps users return to the home screen, wake up the display and access the iOS quick app switcher.
While it raises concerns around the utility of iPhones, a separate report from Digitimes speculated that Apple is developing touch and display driver integration (TDDI) single-chip solutions for future iPhones, which will include fingerprint scanner within the display. While the claim is based on information coming from sources in Taiwan's IC design industry, Apple has filed multiple patents that support the on-screen fingerprint recognition hardware.
But that only answers the Touch ID function in iPhones, leaving all other functions out of the purview.
Apple Insider, however, has a few theories that could work well for the company. The lack of physical home button can be replaced by a virtual home button, integrated gestures and multi-touch functions to return to the home screen or launch app switcher.
Finally, Apple could borrow the tap-to-wake function from Apple Watch to fill the void of the missing home button to wake up the display.
There is no concrete evidence that Apple will set this plan in motion, even after two years. So, for now, be assured that the home button is not going anywhere.
