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iPhone 16 to ditch physical buttons

iPhone 16 to ditch physical buttons

All capacitive, all the time.

Leander Kahney
April 22, 2024

In the 1990s, when Steve Jobs was still running NeXT, he was talking to a group of students when someone asked him to sign their Apple Extended Keyboard.

It triggered Jobs, who started to disassemble the keyboard in front of the gobsmacked students, according to an account in BusinessWeek (summarized here):

“He burst out: ‘This keyboard represents everything about Apple that I hate. It’s a battleship. Why does it have all these keys? Do you use this F1 key? No.’ And with his car keys he pried it right off. ‘How about this F2 key?’ Off they all went. ‘I’m changing the world, one keyboard at a time,’ he concluded in a calmer voice.”

Since then, Apple has continued Jobs’ mission, removing as many jacks, keys, switches and buttons from its products as it can.

The crusade may reach its ultimate destination with the upcoming iPhone 16, which reportedly will remove all the physical buttons in favor of solid-state capacitive ones.

I suspect Steve Jobs would approve.

Also in today’s newsletter:

Mac running slow? Here are five reasons why.
If your hard drive died or you have a corrupt data card, don’t despair: Stellar Data Recovery’s tools can help you get your pictures back.
First Apple ditched leather in its products. Now it seems to have ditched leather’s replacement, too.
Apple might team up with FIFA to create a major new World Cup-style soccer tournament in the United States — with possible exclusive streaming rights on Apple TV+. Intriguing.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

Why iPhone 16 might dump physical buttons for capacitive ones

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^{A message from Stellar Data Recovery}

Undelete and recover lost photos from an SD card

When you face the ultimate photographer’s nightmare, you can recover and undelete lost images and videos from an SD card with Stellar Photo Recovery. It’s a versatile tool that can rescue your work from corrupt files and formatting.

5 reasons your Mac might be running slow

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^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

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Boost efficiency with lifetime access to Microsoft Project 2021 Professional for PC for just $19.97. This sale ends tonight!

Mac mini might skip Apple M3 processor

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iPhone 16 Pro camera could bring major upgrades [The CultCast]

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Apple might have stopped making FineWoven accessories

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Today in Apple history: Apple teams with Volkswagen for iBeetle car

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KEF speakers drive MacBook Pro outfit's crystal-clear sound [Setups]

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Tweetz o’ the day

At Apple, we're dedicated to helping protect the planet for future generations. Thanks to industry-leading innovation, we've reduced our emissions by more than 55% since 2015. And we’re pioneering new solutions to help others join us in our efforts. Happy Earth Day!
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook)
3:00 PM • Apr 22, 2024

Day 4 with AI Pin.
Mood: Thrown it out the window.
I’m incredibly frustrated with the user experience of my device. I am a techno-optimist and I’m all for early stage products and ideas.
Show-stopping bugs:
- AI Pin gets into a state where it stops taking requests despite… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
— Ray Fernando (@RayFernando1337)
5:29 PM • Apr 20, 2024

AirTags were announced 3 years ago!
From bags left behind to keys lost in jacket pockets, these have been a lifesaver.
— Basic Apple Guy (@BasicAppleGuy)
3:27 PM • Apr 20, 2024

Wut?! Recycle Apple Vision Pro?! 💀♻️
— Basic Apple Guy (@BasicAppleGuy)
8:09 PM • Apr 21, 2024

My current lock screen setup drop yours
— AhMad 𝕏 Ansari (@Ahmadansari2233)
10:18 AM • Apr 20, 2024

One more thing ...

❝

Both my parents got me. They felt a lot of responsibility once they sensed that I was special. They found ways to keep feeding me stuff and putting me in better schools. They were willing to defer to my needs.

— Steve Jobs, 2011.

Today’s poll

Do you give a crap about Earth Day?

Results from last Friday’s poll: What do you think of the Apple Watch Series X renderings?

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