Apple may be getting rid of its home button for multitouch technology and the button tap may be a thing of the past for the iPad and iPhone. The multitouch technology of Apple's iOS 4.3, which operates on the iPhone and iPad, would allow a person to get to its home page by using four or five fingers to pinch to the screen.
Because of that new technology, Apple won't need a physical home button on its new iPhones and iPads and will begin manufacturing the devices without them, according to Boy Genius Report. (The home button was never much beloved by Steve Jobs, who didn't want physical buttons cluttering up the sleekness of the iPhone.)
In addition to the home button disappearing from the iPad, we’re told that this change will make its way over to the iPhone as well. Our source said Apple employees are already testing iPads and iPhones with no home buttons on the Apple campus, and it’s possible we will see this new change materialize with the next-generation iPad and iPhone devices set to launch this year.
So is a five-finger pinch better than a one-finger tap? It seems a bit more complicated, but that's the price you pay for a display-driven interface. Those grieving the loss of the home button will still have some time to get used to the idea -- the new iPad 2 isn't rumored to launch until April.
