The company plans to give a little twist to the design of its iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models.
A series of iPhone 15 Pro model rumors suggest that Apple will replace physical buttons unified single-button volume control with haptic feedback that will simulate pressure through small vibrations just as happened with the home button of the iPhone 7. That is, it will not be a physical button as such, but rather a small elongated touch screen located on the side of the terminal.
Until now, all iPhone models have always had two buttons on the side to increase and decrease the volume. But a series of recent leaks reveal some details about its buttonless design and some makes based on CAD files of an iPhone 15 prototype that shows what its touchscreen will look like. But what are the reasons that pushed Apple to make this significant change? In this opinion piece we will try to unravel the mysteries that surround this enigmatic stranger.
A radical change in design: costs, durability, innovation and other possible causes
Apple will unify the volume buttons of its iPhone 15 Pro
The replacement of the physical buttons of the iPhone 15 Pro not only will completely change the side border of your next iPhone – well, in case you decide to buy one, that is – but they will also change the way you use the device.
This is a very exciting new development and design change which, if I may say so, will be exciting. It’s a small detail, yes, but in conjunction with the general appearance of the iPhone 15 Pro, it will offer a much more aesthetic and futuristic vision of the smartphone. We could enter the antechamber of the return of Touch ID functionality to the iPhone. But let’s go step by step. This is unlikely to happen in 2023.
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Buttons !
source in video pic.twitter.com/sxy9GaNCre— ShrimpApplePro 🍤 (@VNchocoTaco) March 20, 2023
This isn’t the first time Apple has removed physical buttons from its iPhone. It already happened in 2017, when Apple launched its iPhone X heralding the final farewell to the iconic physical home button that had been present since the original iPhone. The company with the bitten apple logo didn’t stop there, it continued to implement small design changes (speakers, microphones, chassis, thinner borders, notch, Dynamic Island…) until the remove the 3.5mm jack plug. headphones for a wireless future.
This brings us to the next question: Is this Apple’s vision of a buttonless future? It might be. I mean, it starts with something, right? But there are other factors that could have contributed to the decision to change the physical buttons to this haptic “non-button”.
Replacing the physical volume buttons could simplify the production process
The side edge of the iPhone 15 Pro could have a single volume control touch button
It’s tempting to think that this big little design change is because Apple realized that its supply chain This would greatly speed up the production process. in the integration of the buttons or that, quite simply, they had been looking for a solution to reduce the economic costs of their iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
But that doesn’t seem very likely. In fact, the new haptic volume control is rumored to will require two tactical motors and a pressure sensor (touch), which would not reduce costs, but would make them more expensive. But then why are they going to make this change?
Maybe Apple doesn’t want to offer a cheaper iPhone 15 Pro. In fact, the iPhone 15 Pro will be the most expensive iPhone ever. They may not want to speed up your production either. It’s possible that all they want (finally) is to offer its consumers an innovation in terms of design it makes them feel like they’re not buying a new iPhone that’s virtually the same as the old one, and Dynamic Island wasn’t enough.
This concept shows us an iPhone 15 Pro with a touch-sensitive side panel
But another reason could be an increase in product durability and in the water and dust resistance. Although the Cupertino company doesn’t seem to have a problem with that, the biggest factor in water resistance is the Lightning port – which will also be replaced by a USB-C port on the iPhone 15 – so this wouldn’t make much sense either. .although it might help.
Advantages and disadvantages of the new iPhone 15 Pro volume control
Renderings of CAD files show two holes for the implementation of a unified button
Really knowing what is the exact reason for replacing or removing the physical volume buttons from the iPhone 15 Pro is a more complex exercise than one imagined. However, this design change could bring some benefits both the company and its consumers.
Let’s start with the example of the trackpad with the Force Touch function of the MacBook. This type of trackpad offers haptic technology that allows apply multiple levels of pressure to access more features. This feature could also be present in the iPhone 15 Pro and, in addition to the home button of the iPhone 7, it is also somewhat reminiscent of the 3D Touch function.
Adjusting the volume control will be much faster (not sure how precisely) than in current generations of iPhones with the physical buttons. It would even be possible for users to be able to Gently swipe across this pressure-sensitive panel to control volume. But Apple could also opt for a mechanism consisting of a quick key, a stronger key or several simultaneous keys.
iPhone 15 concept with quad camera and haptic buttons
However, without visual (or physical, really) indication of the volume control buttons, this design change could lead to many accidental bugs, if redundancy is allowed. How many times will we end up doing the wrong volume control when the volume buttons are replaced?
But it’s not the worst, no, no, no… it doesn’t stop there, there is another even more serious problem. Although it sounds crazy (sorry, the irony comes) there will be a large number of users who decide to buy a case to prevent their expensive iPhone 15 Pro from take no damage. For them, it will be much more difficult to access the new haptic volume control than with the physical buttons. The truth is that the more I write in this article, the more I am skeptical about the arrival of this design change.
Anyway, the volume buttons will not be the only element that Apple will change with the arrival on the market of the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max – also known as iPhone 15 Ultra. In theory, Apple will also replace the classic squelch switch located right next to the volume buttons on the side of the phone. But the switch will not be replaced by a touch screen, rather will be replaced by a small buttonaccording to the latest rumors.
In the end, it won’t be as simple and straightforward a reason as cutting costs, speeding up production, increasing durability, or implementing better water resistance. I firmly believe it’s a simple matter of innovation. Apple is constantly criticized, even by its most diehard fans, for coming up with a continuous design with a great lack of risk or daring. Plus, they’ll probably also implement new software features with this physical button replacement, which is a source of joy. We’ll see what ends up happening!
Brand Apple Release date 2023
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