Back in the day, when smartphones were actually small, the circular home button that has been a mainstay on the iPhone since gen one wasn’t that big of a deal. But as iPhones continued to challenge practical ergonomics by inching a bit bigger year after year, it’s become kind of a problem. It just takes up too much damn space.
Technology is filled with all kinds of rumors and speculation — real and fabricated. BitStream collects all those whispers into one place to deliver your morning buzz.
According to DigiTimes, Apple may have plans to embed a virtual button in the iPhone’s home screen. This virtual button would still have Touch ID built in and would finally render that obnoxious, bezel-hogging circular hardware key useless. This will hopefully combat how awkwardly long the iPhone has become as its grown up over the years.
Apple Insider confirmed the report with a separate source familiar with the iPhone button situation and also added that Apple wouldn’t be using this new technology until at least 2017—assuming it doesn’t get scrapped before it sees the light of day. So... the iPhone 7s? Maybe?
Wait, did I just write an iPhone 7s rumor? Oh god.
Apple’s 4K ambitions: Newly published via Wikileaks, a collection of Sony hacks confirms that Apple had 4K interests as of September 2013. This is surprising considering all current rumors suggest that Apple has no plans to include 4K deals with its upcoming Apple TV set-top box. Maybe when we finally see Apple’s new service, the company will have a few 4K tricks up its sleeve. [Sci-Tech Today]
A fictional AMD breakup: Rumors lately are filled with acquisitions that never were. First, HTC denies any interest in a possible ASUS buyout. Now, a Reuters report last Friday saying AMD may split the company or sell to the highest bidder is being disregarded by chipmaker AMD as untrue. [ExtremeTech]
Goodbye, Note Edge: Did you like the Galaxy Note 4 Edge? Well, if you were hoping for a 2015 update, embrace for some shitty news. Rumors say Samsung has no plans to create a Galaxy Note 5 Edge. However, not all hope is lost. Other rumors say Samsung is definitely toiling away on a larger 5.7-inch device with two curved edges instead of one. Maybe it’s not dead but just taking another form. [SamMobile]
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