The next generation of Apple’s trademark device, set to debut on Sept. 12, will come with several updates and slick new features. One aspect that didn’t make the cut, though, is the home button — a staple of the iPhone since it first hit the market in 2007 — according to Bloomberg.
Tapping the home button to swipe through apps, unlock the screen, and talk to Siri has become second nature for iPhone users. But Apple is looking to replace it with gesture controls, adding a “thin software bar” to the bottom of the screen where the home button is usually placed. Users will be able to swipe the software bar up onto the screen and navigate between apps using their fingers.
Dropping the home button is part of Apple’s overall update to the iPhone 8. It’ll include a taller screen, more rounded edges, wireless charging, 3D facial recognition, and allow developers to create augmented reality apps with its ARKit. Removing the home button made it possible to expand the screen.
With three variations of the iPhone 8 ready to launch — and running up to $1,000 on the high-end — Apple is betting its massive base will be able to quickly adapt to the lack of a home button.
6 Tech Giants Shaking Up News, From Jeff Bezos to Laurene Powell Jobs (Photos)
Tech leaders are increasingly intertwined with the news business. While some want to support old properties, one set out to destroy a new one. Here they are.
Jeff Bezos – Washington Post
The Amazon founder purchased the Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million in cash. President Trump has called the paper the “Amazon Washington Post.”
The Facebook co-founder purchased The New Republic in 2012, becoming executive chairman and publisher. However, he sold the venerable political magazine to Win McCormack in 2016, saying he "underestimated the difficulty of transitioning an old and traditional institution into a digital media company in today’s quickly evolving climate."
The eBay founder is a well-known philanthropist who created First Look Media, a journalism venture behind The Intercept. Inspired by Edward Snowden's leaks. Omidyar teamed up with journalists Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill and Laura Poitras to launch the website “dedicated to the kind of reporting those disclosures required: fearless, adversarial journalism.”
The PayPal co-founder doesn’t own a news organization, but he makes this list because he essentially ended one -- Gawker -- proving once again the power of an angry billionaire. Thiel secretly bankrolled Hulk Hogan’s sex-tape lawsuit against Gawker Media because he was upset that the website once outed him as gay. Hogan won the defamation lawsuit against the site that sent its parent company into bankruptcy, and Gawker.com is no longer operating.
OK, so Facebook isn’t technically a news organization… yet. However, the company is preparing to launch its much-anticipated lineup of original content later this summer, and there are also signs that it's on the verge of becoming an even bigger media platform.
Campbell Brown, Head of News Partnerships at Facebook, confirmed last week it’s developing a subscription service for publishers willing to post articles directly to Facebook Instant Articles, rather than their native websites.
Tech is increasingly intertwined with news, for better or worse
Tech leaders are increasingly intertwined with the news business. While some want to support old properties, one set out to destroy a new one. Here they are.
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