What Will Apple Do With The iPhone 5 Home Button?

Posted by Michael Nace on Tuesday Jan 17, 2012 Under Apple Rumors, iPhone 5 Opinion

The notion that the iPhone 5 will lose its iconic home button has risen once again in the rumor mill. But is Apple really ready to do away with it in favor of a next-generation solution?

For those of you who have been following this blog for a year or more, you’re starting to see a pattern develop in 2012′s iPhone 5 rumor mill: what goes around comes around. This week, it’s a recycling of the disappearing iPhone 5 home button, thanks to an iPhone 5 concept video that went viral. The video depicts a larger-screened iPhone 5 sans the front-facing home button, instead opting for two squeezable side button areas, much like how you can squeeze some of the Mac mice to bring up multiple windows. The designer imagines the two side buttons not only as a way to ergonomically get from an app back to the home screen, but also as a way of replacing swiping in order to navigate the home screen’s icons.

While the media has expressed some degree of excitement or interest in the concept, it is not grounded in any patent or actionable rumor, and for that matter, I don’t particularly like the idea of replacing one button with two, and replacing a tangible button that clicks with two side buttons that you squeeze but never get any real physical feedback from.

But whether or not Apple opts for this new dual-side button format or not, it’s worth posing the question — now in this new year — as to whether or not Cupertino will do away with the home button once and for all.

As we all know, Steve Jobs was famous for designing devices with fewer physical buttons. The Macs, after all, make quite a statement by having no eject button for their drives, and no simple on-off switch. Perhaps it is seen as a feature that proves the Mac to be a more intelligent, intuitive next-generation computer, a means of avoiding a potential hardware breakdown, or just a cool aesthetic feature, but the minimally-buttoned gadget is definitely a species of Apple.

And yet, while alive, Mr. Jobs felt compelled to maintain the home button and side buttons on the iPhone and iPad, even up until his death.

Last year, we had talked about gesture control “smart bezels” (this is bound to get rumored on again — just wait for it) that could replace volume and other navigation buttons with smooth, integrated touch surfaces that would complement the main display. Perhaps all of this was in store for the aborted 2011 iPhone 5, but to this point, we’ve had no reason to believe that to be the case.

There are, however, a couple of new developments that we can look toward in order to determine what might be in store for the home button’s fate on the iPhone 5. First up is Siri. In many ways, Siri has already moved the home button, conceptually speaking. By challenging the iPhone user to interface more frequently with the headset, pressing its button to give commands to Siri, Apple has now lobbied for the hardware-based “action button” on the iPhone to be moved up onto the earbud controls. Granted, this is not the same as the home button — but it could be on the iPhone 5. Apple could very well offer a hardware home button on the headset, and make the iPhone 5′s home button part of the actual display. Or, the user could simply use a specific gesture to get back to the home screen.

Another factor to monitor is the iPad 3.

I argued recently in another article that Apple may be looking to move the design of the iPhone and iPad farther apart, so as to further encourage users to own both. That being said, if we see the home button on the iPad 3 disappear, we may very well surmise that it might be gone for the iPhone 5 as well. Tech pundits are citing the larger screen of the iPhone 5 as a reason for losing the home button — well, the iPad 3 is also rumored to get a resolution upgrade. It’s possible that Apple will set the state for no home button with the iPad 3 and follow up with the same new feature on the iPhone 5.

Pardon the pun, but the home button is a touchy subject for iPhone users. For as much as iPhone users tend to love the gesture control innovations that new iOS versions roll out, the analog home button somehow complements the gesture experience. and now, with rumors that 3D gesture control could one day come to the iPhone, users might be thinking that future mobile computing may be more like playing the theremin than operating what we think of today as a smartphone. In short, iPhone users may not be ready to give up the comfort of the home button.

But in Cupertino’s usual style, it doesn’t really matter what we think, does it?

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12 Responses to “What Will Apple Do With The iPhone 5 Home Button?”

  1. Cristian Says:
    January 17th, 2012 at 8:12 pm

    When I think about stereo speakers I think about it when I’m watching video on the iPhone or iPad. I don’t know about you guys but when I watch video on an iDevice I opt for landscape, not portrait. If they place both speakers on the bottom of the iPhone or iPad, when you get on landscape, both speakers will be on the same side. I think they should leave the microphone where it is and leave the speaker where it is. They just need to add another speaker on the upper part of the phone for when your on landscape. In the iPhone and iPad they should move the sleep/wake button to the middle upper part and leave room for another speaker. Another good idea for it is that they could put the mic like the video above does and instead of 2 speakers, they add 3. Two of them like they showed in this mockup and the other one like I said they should place before so you can have stereo in portrait as well as landscape mode. I really wish they add stereo to at least the iPad because it would be a much better experience. If the iPad 3 has Retina display and stereo….. I’M TAKING THE PLUNGE! ;-)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0


  2. tommy Says:
    January 17th, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    This is so cool. Apple should watch this and take some notes lol. But in all seriousness if Apple makes something like this, I’ll be the first in line.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0


  3. undfeatable Says:
    January 17th, 2012 at 11:41 pm

    Hey Michael, check out this link. I see another iphone 5 feature possible that NO ONE (to my knowledge) has picked up yet! http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/01/17/the-iphones-next-victim-water/

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  4. ALM Says:
    January 18th, 2012 at 12:13 am

    One button, voice recognition, wireless charging. Less buttons = More space for upgrades. Come on Apple. This is simple.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0


  5. Recyclops Says:
    January 18th, 2012 at 12:51 am

    I would like to see a indented multitouch, clickable bar much like apples magic trackpad but smaller and cover the majority of the bottom of the phone under the screen

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0


  6. Core2 Says:
    January 18th, 2012 at 8:46 am

    I don’t see the button going anywhere just yet. Apple seems to make the only portable device that you can easily take a screenshot of the screen by pressing home\sleep simultaneously.

    Android still can’t get this to function easily, without installing a 3rd party app to do so.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1


  7. Vernicularis Says:
    January 18th, 2012 at 9:10 am

    As Cristian alluded to, if you are using the phone in landscape then these two additional buttons will be on the top and bottom so effectively nowhere near your fingers.

    Boom, concept destroyed.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  8. Laura Says:
    January 18th, 2012 at 10:10 am

    Personally, I love the home button. My fingers are not instinctually in those spots as described. For one thing, I use an Otterbox defender case and it makes the phone quite wide. I hold it with my fingers at the bottom of the device, not on the sides. That motion IMHO is not a good motion to be doing repetitively. I’m glad I have the 4s, but my husband will be looking for a new phone later this year. He can squeeze all he wants. LOL! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. :)

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  9. Michael Nace Says:
    January 18th, 2012 at 7:44 pm

    I agree with all of you — Laura, Vern Core2, etc. This new concept does not improve what the iPhone already has. I have the Kyrocera Echo, and it has a home button that is not a button — just a touch surface. I guess Apple could do a similar thing for the iPhone. But I love the feel of the home button iPhone “click.” It is indeed satisfying.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  10. Michael Nace Says:
    January 18th, 2012 at 7:44 pm

    Many thanks, undfeatable. I actually just penned a little article on this evening.

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  11. Michael Nace Says:
    January 18th, 2012 at 7:46 pm

    you know, Christian: I’ve never thought of the speaker issue. But it is true. I will say this: the iPhone and iPad have really superior audio compared to other devices. But you would think that they could add a thir speaker to the op of the devices that only kicks in when you change the position of the device. That would be a nice touch.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  12. Cristian Says:
    January 18th, 2012 at 10:26 pm

    Exactly!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


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