• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026

2

Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup

3

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

1

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026

2

Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup

3

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
Apple

Apple Might Make Big Changes to the iPhone’s Buttons

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 16, 2017, 11:05 AM ET
Photograph by Sean Gallup—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Apple’s next iPhone could come with some big changes that eliminate the Home Button, according to one analyst.

In a note to investors on Wednesday, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that he believes Apple’s next high-end handset, believed to be known as the iPhone 8 or iPhone X, will come with a 5.8-inch touch surface. However, about 5.2 inches of that will be actual screen space. The rest, Kuo said, according to Apple-tracking site Macrumors, which obtained a copy of the note, will be dedicated to a virtual button panel that will replace the iPhone’s Home Button sensor.

Several reports of late have said that Apple (AAPL) is planning to remove the Home Button sensor in a device that could commemorate the 10th anniversary of its iPhone, which initially hit store shelves in 2007. It would be a first for Apple, which has always placed a Home Button beneath the iPhone’s display to act as a component that, when pressed, lets users navigate the operating system iOS. Over the last few years, the Home Button has also doubled as a fingerprint sensor that unlocks the iPhone’s software and in the last couple of years, authorized mobile payments via Apple Pay when users held their fingers on it.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Apple’s iPhone 8 or iPhone X is expected to be the flagship smartphone the company announces this year. While Apple is still expected to offer an iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus that mimic in design and function last year’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 8 or iPhone X could offer an all-glass design (as opposed to the metal in the iPhone 7 line), as well as a bigger screen. That display is expected to feature organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, a first for Apple.

Related: Something Is Very Different About Apple’s Next Big Event

While Apple hasn’t commented on future plans for its Home Button, the company has filed for several patents in recent years on technologies that would allow it to eliminate the physical button and create a virtual area on which users could interact with the software and make mobile payments via Apple Pay. Earlier this week, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published an Apple patent on a technology that would create a virtual Home Button under the iPhone’s display. It was the latest in a string of several similar technologies Apple is apparently considering.

For more about Apple’s iPhone, watch:

However, many of those rumors have said users could press down anywhere on the screen to activate the Home Button functions. Kuo, who is one of the more accurate Apple predictors, now believes that a virtual function area will sit beneath the display space where users can interact with the device. Kuo also told investors that Apple might opt to use the area for more than just Home Button functions.

Kuo also said that Apple is planning to make the iPhone 8 or iPhone X small enough to accommodate one-handed control. He said that the handset could be about the same size as a 4.7-inch iPhone 7.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

sb
Personal FinanceSocial Security
‘Social Security is on a collision course toward insolvency,’ watchdog says. It hasn’t been this bad since 1983
By Nick LichtenbergJune 17, 2026
22 minutes ago
Mortgage rates today, June 17, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, June 17, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 17, 2026
25 minutes ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 17, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for June 17, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 17, 2026
25 minutes ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 17, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for June 17, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJune 17, 2026
25 minutes ago
The new problem for millennial parents in the Northeast: the million-dollar starter home
Real EstateHousing
The new problem for millennial parents in the Northeast: the million-dollar starter home
By Sydney LakeJune 17, 2026
25 minutes ago
He fled Iran for the American dream, became a millionaire, and could have retired—instead, he built the health tech that saved his father from cancer
SuccessFortune The Good Life
He fled Iran for the American dream, became a millionaire, and could have retired—instead, he built the health tech that saved his father from cancer
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 17, 2026
26 minutes ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 16, 2026
19 hours ago
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
Success
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
By Preston ForeJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
AI
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 16, 2026
18 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.