A new report confirmed that the iPhone 7 release will be the last Apple flagship phone model to sport the iconic moving Home button as the same control key will undergo a major redesign in time for the all-glass iPhone rollout in 2017.
A report by Bloomberg claimed that "Apple is already at work on a major redesign of the iPhone for 2017 that focuses more heavily on the display by removing the Home button." The latest information is in line with the rumors of an all-glass iPhone, and possibly with an OLED front panel, that Apple will build next year.
Tentatively, the device will take the name iPhone 8 but there were talks that this year's flagships will be named iPhone 6SE and 6SE Plus, and the iPhone 7 label is reserved for 2017 that will mark the 10th year of the device.
Such was the vision that Apple design guru Jony Ive has been playing back in his head for some time, according to MacRumors. "Ive is said to have wanted to build an iPhone that looks like a single sheet of glass for several years, and 2017, the year that marks the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, is when it will happen," the report said.
Another report by Apple Insider said that as early as 2014 Apple designers have been working on a plan to rewrite the iPhone Home key and that "removing the home button from iPhone is a long-term goal for Apple that could happen as soon as 2017."
The AI report added that in accordance to the Home button redesign, the iPhone model this year is likely to remove the moving parts of the control key. "Reports claim this year's iPhone refresh will feature a solid-state pressure-sensitive Force Touch ID module. While not a complete button replacement, utilization of such a component would be a step toward realizing that goal," the report said.
How and what exactly the 2017 iPhone Home implementation is remains to be seen. But most Apple watchers are convinced that the control key will be integrated with the new OLED display material that is believed to be employed for the device.
Touch ID will likely remain embedded with the redesigned iPhone Home button along with other rumored feature upgrades for the all-glass 2017 iPhone such as curved display, facial recognition, wireless charging and enhanced Taptic engine.