Is Apple killing off the iPhone’s Home button?

22 Jun 2015

Apple is preparing to kill off the iPhone’s famous physical Home button, and will replace it with a touch system embedded in the display.

That’s according to Digitimes‘ sources in Taiwan’s integrated circuit design industry, who claim that the consumer tech giant is developing “touch and display driver integration (TDDI) single-chip solutions for its iPhones”. The system is said to point towards a thinner new design and the end of the Home button as we know it.

Reports from Apple Insider support these assertions, though its sources say the change will not come within the next two years.

So changes to the iPhone’s physical make-up might be in the pipeline. What is definitely happening, though, is the updated iOS 9 operating system, which promises big improvements to Siri and Maps, and an all-new News app, among other features. iOS 9 will be available this autumn as a free upgrade for iPhone 4s and later, iPod touch 5th generationiPad 2 and later, and iPad mini and later.

iPhone image, via Shutterstock

Dean Van Nguyen was a contributor to Silicon Republic

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