Apple to ditch iPhone 7’s home button in favor of Force Touch

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3D Touch app switching
Force Touch could be finding another use with iPhone 7.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 7 may not be the major refresh that Apple’s full-number iPhone releases usually are, but it could feature an intriguing new addition in the form of a “Force Touch Home button,” according to analysts at Cowen and Company.

Cowen doesn’t exactly spell out how this will work, but the report suggests that the iPhone 7’s Home button will sit flush with the rest of the iPhone and will be based on pressure-sensing “Force Touch” technology, along with haptic feedback, to provide the effect of being pressed — as opposed to relying on a physical button mechanism.

If this is correct, it backs up similar reports from earlier this month.

From the sound of things, this concept could be a halfway house to eliminating the Home button completely, as previous reports have suggested Apple will do in future. Last year we heard that Apple may get rid of the physical iPhone Home button in a future handset by integrating fingerprint sensors into the main display: something it already has a patent for.

Considering that the Home button of the iPhone is a regular failure point, I can see why Apple would want to get rid of it — even if it would mean a big change for Apple’s iconic iPhone design. It would also be intriguing to consider that Force Touch tech could open up new possibilities based on how hard you pressed the “button” in question.

Does this sound like a good idea to you? Leave your comments below.

Via: Business Insider

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