Why it matters: Apple's next Pro-grade iPhones were largely expected to ship with haptic-based solid-state power and volume buttons but that option is reportedly no longer in the cards. Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said unresolved technical issues ahead of mass production will prevent the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max from adopting the planned solid-state button design.
Instead, the high-end handsets will use traditional physical buttons like those on current-gen models.
Suppliers linked to the proposed feature are already feeling the sting from Kuo's report. Cirrus Logic, which makes controller ICs, and Taptic Engine supplier AAC Technologies are both down around 15 percent on the news.
Kuo said the iPhone 15 Pro series is currently in the engineering validation testing (EVT) stage, meaning there is still time to modify the handset's design one way or the other. That said, eliminating the new button design should simplify the development and testing process as physical buttons are already proven.
Two iPhone 15 Pro models' removal of solid-state button design negatively affects Cirrus Logic and AAC / �...�款iPhone 15 Pro�-æ¶Âåº�...�æÂÂéµè¨è¨Âä¸Âå©Cirrus LogicèÂÂ�'�è²�'æÂÂhttps://t.co/Ot81sCQzgk
– éÂæÂÂé¤ (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) April 12, 2023
Back in October, Kuo said Apple was planning to replace the physical volume and power buttons on its next Pro iPhones with touch-based solid-state buttons that would use vibrations from Taptic Engines to simulate pressing a physical button. The new design would work much like the home button on the iPhone 7 and the trackpad on MacBooks, which are quite convincing in their ability to mimic the real thing. The change would have involved adding two additional Taptic Engines to the mix for a total of three per phone.
Although minor in the grand scheme of things, switching to solid-state buttons would have given Apple a fresh selling point. The change might also make Pro handsets more durable and would likely improve water resistance as it would result in fewer points of entry for liquids.
Some believe Apple is working toward eventually making a buttonless, portless iPhone that would rely totally on touch-based buttons and wireless charging, and this would have been an important step in that journey.
https://www.techspot.com/news/98292-iphone-15-pro-might-not-switch-touch-enabled.html
