Some folks have been poking around in the HomePod Firmware update. Doing so they’ve unearthed the existence of an upcoming face unlock feature using and infrared camera and face detection, the new iPhone’s bezel-less form factor, and its resolution of 1125 x 2436 (375 x 812 points rendered @3x).
Me too. New bezel-less form factor as well pic.twitter.com/Y0RrSOk2OO
— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) July 31, 2017
Former Apple Software Engineer and now App Developer Allen Pike wonders how apps would render on this new iPhone, assuming the Home button being replaced with a virtual one (because it will disappear):
So, after ten years, the Home button is going virtual. Our beautiful new 812pt OLED display will have a function area carved out of the bottom, with Home in the middle. There are many things Apple could put on either side of the Home button – Android-like multitasking buttons I suppose – but iOS 11 gives us a giant clue.
Taking clues from the fact that the the navigation bar and the big bold titles in iOS11 are oddly positioned (see screenshot above) he suggests that the bottom 66pt of the new iPhone’s screen will be reserved for the virtual home button, and that the buttons of the navigation bar will move next to either side of it. This way the visual oddity is existent no more, and navigation is put within thumbs’ reach.
Sidenote: If this were to be the case – which would make sense – I cannot help but wonder how Apple will tout this as their next great invention – which they tend to do – as Android phones have had their darn handy physical back button at said location for ages 😉