Future iPhones To Have Touch Surrogates Instead Of Physical Buttons
Apple recently entered into an agreement with Taiwanese manufacturer Advanced Semiconductor Engineering to purchase system-in-package (SIP) capacitive modules. These modules are designed to replace traditional buttons with touch-sensitive analogues with haptic feedback in future iPhone series smartphones.
Apple plans to replace both physical buttons with capacitive counterparts that will still provide tactile feedback. Such buttons determine the force of pressing and imitate the effect of interaction with a regular button using a special mechanism that generates vibration.
Previously, the media wrote that Apple intends to equip the iPhone 16 with touch buttons with tactile feedback, and within the company this project was known as Bongo. However, later information appeared that the developers were unable to solve all the technical problems, and the project had to be abandoned. This meant that the iPhone 16 would retain traditional mechanical buttons.
The start of mass production of these capacitive modules is planned for the third quarter of 2024. Given Apple’s historical tradition of introducing new iPhones in early fall, this production schedule suggests that touch replacements could debut with the iPhone 17 rather than the expected iPhone 16 series.
