Apple has reportedly not given up on its dream of designing an iPhone without mechanical buttons, with keys integrated into the frame and offering haptic feedback control.
A few years ago, several reports mentioned a certain Bongo project at Apple. This one aimed to integrate haptic feedback keys on the iPhone in order to eliminate mechanical buttons. This one ultimately did not see the light of day, probably due to design problems and because it is not a priority to shake up the design of the iPhone to this extent right now.
But according to information from the leaker Instant Digital, this famous Bongo project has been relaunched within the company. This time, it would not only concern the iPhone, but also other flagship products of the manufacturer, like the iPad and the Apple Watch. Apple would concentrate its efforts on developing a system that does not encounter problems of false touch recognition. On older prototypes, the haptic buttons tended to be activated involuntarily by the person handling the iPhone.
Is an iPhone without mechanical buttons coming soon?
Another issue Apple must address to hope for commercialization is the responsiveness of this haptic key. The manufacturer dreams of offering a unified design, without mechanical buttons as protrusions on the edges, but not to the point of sacrificing the user experience. This technology must therefore be effective when you try to activate it, always finding a balance with the fact that it should not respond accidentally when brushed against.
One advantage of haptic buttons is that they allow users to feel the difference in feedback between a light and a stronger pressure, which can be used to activate various options depending on the force used. In recent years, Apple has introduced a customizable action button, serving as a hardware shortcut to quickly access frequently used features. There's also a new button to control the camera, which is already a bit closer to what Apple wants to do with haptic feedback, without following through on the manufacturer's idea. Will it be postponed for a few years?
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