Is Apple Planning to Ditch the Home Button on Forthcoming iPads and iPhones?

[Maura]

BGR says that it has heard from one of its Apple sources that Apple is planning to remove the Home button from the iPad, and then eventually from the iPhone as well. According to the sources, this is the reason why Apple has included multi-touch gestures for the iPad in the newly released iOS 4.3 beta. They say that the Home button will be completely removed in future versions of the iPad and iPhone, so that instead of clicking a physical button to reach the Home screen, you’ll simply have to perform a specific gesture. The same goes for accessing the Multitasking bar, which is currently done by clicking on the Home button twice.

Not sure how I feel about this, I kind of like the Home button! And it’s always handy to have physical buttons available if you need to do a hard reset. Currently if your iPad stops responding (happened to me the other day - scary!) you hold down both the On/Off switch and the Home button to perform a hard reset and get it going again.

Source: Exclusive: Apple will remove home button on next iPad and iPhone; Photo Booth and iLife coming? | BGR | Boy Genius Report

 

[Gunny008]

I don't think they will because what about the people who don't have all their fingers? They will find the multi gestures a challenge

Also, the great thing about the iPad is that it appeals to everyone because everyone can figure out how to use it without any research, it would be less accessible if the home button was removed in my opinion.

 

[Sridhar]

Not going to happen.

 

[newfmp3]

I don't think they will because what about the people who don't have all their fingers? They will find the multi gestures a challenge

Also, the great thing about the iPad is that it appeals to everyone because everyone can figure out how to use it without any research, it would be less accessible if the home button was removed in my opinion.

very good points.

I'm not a fan of this idea at all. If anything I want to see a few more hard buttons. Better for games

 

[donka]

Would make getting a screenshot a little more tricky.
I love the new multi touch gestures - especially calling up the taskbar and swiping between apps as I often read late in bed and double clicking the button can be noisy if the missus is sleeping next to me.

 

[Superbike81]

This is one place where I think the new iPad could benefit from the Galaxy Tab.

It wouldn't have to have that many buttons on the bottom, but it could have one touch style button that worked has a home function like we have now, but wasn't a physical button. The Galaxy's buttons operate off of a light touch, no physical mechanism, just touch.

 

[Yakuzagang5]

I like the INLCUSION and OPTION of the gestures, but to take away the home button is just stupid. A ton of games rely on (for lack of a better term) a-bunch-of-fingers input. Look at the Zombie smash game, all you do is flick upward with 5 fingers or more, having only this option basically renders the game useless in the higher levels...

 

[screwdriver]

Not having the button would be nice, less dirt collected.

 

[Victguja]

Reading all the points of view above I believe having the home button reconfigurable would be the best. I am switching very often between apps and having to click twice every time is really annoing and noisy without talking about the switch that has a limited life ( probably quite long but still limited). I would prefer the gestures but I see the point about having also the phisical switch possibility.

 

[Good karma]

I would like the home button to stay

 

[DaveSt]

I'm not sure how I feel about it. I can see Apple wanting to at least replace the contact style push button with something a little more robust like a capacitive sensor. The button that is on there now is a wear component that will fail at some point, so taking that means of failure away from the device only makes sense. I think Apple is just playing with some ideas right now. In some shape or form I believe the home button as we know it now will be gone on third generation devices.

 

[iVan]

The button's got to go. When I first saw it on iPhones it felt out of place and still is awkward on iPad.

Worse is the plug hole! That thing's enormous!

One of the most appealing aspects of iPad in general is the fact that almost every "way to do" is wireless. Why not go all the way? Wireless induction charging, wireless Bluetooth earbuds...those are things that exist, now! Get rid of every hole, I say!

It's true that when the processor is out you need a physical prompt to start it but there are cleaner, less obvious ways of doing that.

 

[iVan]

The button's got to go. When I first saw it on iPhones it felt out of place and still is awkward on iPad.

Worse is the plug hole! That thing's enormous!

One of the most appealing aspects of iPad in general is the fact that almost every "way to do" is wireless. Why not go all the way? Wireless induction charging, wireless Bluetooth earbuds...those are things that exist, now! Get rid of every hole, I say!

It's true that when the processor is out you need a physical prompt to start it but there are cleaner, less obvious ways of doing that.

A wifi dock would be a nice place to start!

 

[speedlever]

I have zero concerns about wearing out the home button. I have yet to wear out a mouse button. The iPad will be long obsolete and useless before that button fails.

 

[DaveSt]

I have zero concerns about wearing out the home button. I have yet to wear out a mouse button. The iPad will be long obsolete and useless before that button fails.

I'm not worried about wearing mine out either, that's not really what I was talking about. Any small mechanical device like the home button is a means of failure on the device. I imagine the average MTBF for that button is millions of clicks. Still, there are going to be those unlucky enough to have it fail after 100,000 (or 100) clicks also. It is smart design to remove as many potential modes of failure as possible, and I would have to think that cheap little button is close to #1 on the iPad.