Apple is working on a significant redesign of the 2017 iPhone that will include a removal of the traditional Home button, according to Bloomberg.
The note comes from Gareth Allen and long-reliable Apple reporter Mark Gurman, who cite “a person familiar with the matter.” It's part of a larger report claiming Apple plans to include Sony’s FeliCa standard in future iPhones, allowing Japanese users to treat the phone as a transit payment card.
The notion of next year’s iPhone being a radical departure from Apple’s typical design language isn’t new. It’s been reported for months that this year’s model will only bring minor changes — most notably an improved camera and the loss of the 3.5mm headphone jack — and that Apple will move to a three-year upgrade cycle for its iPhones instead.
The Wall Street Journal reported as much in June, claiming that Apple's design chief Jony Ive wants the 2017 iPhone to look like “a single sheet of glass.” Not having a Home button would help with that.
Beyond that, the 2017 iPhone is rumored to use an “edge-to-edge” panel that uses the OLED display tech — similar to what’s in Samsung’s Galaxy phones — and bakes a fingerprint scanner into the screen itself.
Whatever the case, the fact that there’s this much buzz around next year’s iPhone appears telling for how exciting this year’s model may or may not be. Those in need of an upgrade might have a tough choice to make this year.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
