One of the most abused features on a mobile device is the home button. Apple's home buttons, in particular, have proven to be one of - if not the most - fragile ones. Now it seems that Apple is addressing this constant concern by possibly ruling it out completely.
Business Insider has noted that the iPhone 7 is already being mass produced, which means that the new Apple handheld will be coming out soon. Since there are physical units already being produced, rumors are getting more specific and more believable as well.
The publication goes on to claim that Apple is ditching the physical home button and replacing it with a Force Touch home button that is flush with the rest of the iPhone 7's face. This could be Apple's way to ease in the public and test the waters for a phone completely lacking a home button, which is how next year's iPhone is expected to look. To be more specific, Apple aims to make the device look like a "single sheet of glass."
The Force Touch will be built into the home button, according to Mac Rumors. When pressed, the flat home button will provide haptic feedback, acting much like the current force touch trackpad on newer MacBooks. The haptic feedback will give the sensation of pressing a button, without the physical touch.
Of course, this is just a rumor based on sketchy images of what could or could not be the actual iPhone 7. In fact, there are other rumors regarding the home button. Another rumor went around regarding a Touch Sensitive button, which was not flushed with the rest of the iPhone 7 unit.
A Force Touch home button does beg the question: What will happen to the other physical buttons on the iPhone? Will Apple be ditching the others, like the lock button and volume buttons on the iPhone 7 as well?
