The iPhone 7 rumour mill continues to turn, today churning up an older line relating to the Home button.
Mac Otakara reckons the forthcoming handset will boast a flush Home button that is no-longer clickable.
Instead, the report says, the button will be touch sensitive beyond the current Touch ID functionality, while adding 3D Touch functionality, similar to the trackpad on newer MacBooks.
However, before you get too excited about a significant design switch, the odds remain very much against it.
Each of the leaks we’ve seen to date have featured the same indented Home button. While it’s a possibility they’re all wide of the mark, it isn’t a strong one. We still anticipate the iPhone 7 sticking with the tried and trusted.
Related: iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S: What to expect
However, as 9to5Mac points out, there’d potentially be a major benefit to this approach beyond improved ability to navigate around iOS 10.
It could also be key to Apple’s ability to fully waterproof the handset, something also rumoured in recent months.
The previous release – the iPhone 6S – appeared to offer at least some water resistance, but it’s not a feature Apple ever advertised or even acknowledged.
With Samsung pushing ahead with the waterproofing of its devices – the Galaxy S7 Active hiccup aside – waterproofing may be a priority for Apple as it seeks to give users suitable reasons to upgrade.
With iPhone sales falling year-on-year and a rather soft update anticipated, a waterproofed iPhone might be just the ticket.
Perhaps we’ll have to wait until 2017 for that one?
iPhone 7: Everything we know so far
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
