Killing the home button on the iPhone X was a no-brainer, according to Apple’s design boss Jony Ive. But figuring out the best way to replace wasn’t an easy task.
In a recent interview on iPhone X, Jony Ive revealed some of the design decisions his team had to make in order to bring huge innovations to this year’s flagship device.
Removing the home button from the iPhone is the biggest design change Apple has made since the original iPhone. Every single iOS device Apple has shipped had the round circular button at the bottom until the iPhone X.
Killing the home button
Some tech experts have been critical of Face ID and gestures replacing Touch ID and the home button, but Ive told Time that not moving on would have been disastrous for Apple.
“I actually think the path of holding onto features that have been effective, the path of holding onto those whatever the cost, is a path that leads to failure,” says Ive. “And in the short term, it’s the path the feels less risky and it’s the path that feels more secure.”
Just look at the rotting carcass that once was Blackberry and you can see Ive’s point. Apple has a history of ditching old technologies before most of the public is ready to say goodbye.
It seems like Apple’s supremely confident when it comes to killing old standards. But Ive revealed that the company isn’t always comfortable doing so.
“It’s not necessarily the most comfortable place to be in when you believe there’s a better way,” Ive admits. “[Because] that means moving on from something that has felt successful.”
Jony also talked about the iPhone X’s monstrous price tag. He justified the $999 cost by referring back to the original iPhone. At $500, it was ridiculously expensive for a smartphone at the time, but now that smartphones are so much more than phones, that price seems like a steal.
