Bringing us one step closer to a Minority Report-esque future where all computers are operated by complicated hand gestures and dramatic full-body swipes, Bloomberg is reporting that one of the next models of Apple’s iPhone might completely eliminate the home button—a.k.a. the little circle that reads your fingerprint, summons Siri, and is typically the first thing to break. In place of the functions typically tied to the home button, iPhone users will have to rely on “new gesture controls,” which presumably means having to learn different kinds of finger movements that will surely introduce your expensive toy to a whole new level of smudginess.
The lack of a home button is just a rumor at this point, but it comes on the back of a recent report about one particularly high-end iPhone costing somewhere around $999. That model/lifetime contract with Verizon will supposedly include a larger screen and the ability to unlock the phone with a facial scan, both of which do seem like they would be appropriate for a (mostly) buttonless device. Unfortunately, it sounds like the power button and volume controls will still be physical buttons, so it will still be partly stuck with some pre-Minority Report bullshit.
The Bloomberg report makes a point to say that this perfect and smooth rectangle is just one of the new iPhone models in the works, as Apple will most likely reveal two cheaper variants at its September 12 announcement event. Those will probably be better than previous iPhone models in some way, but they also won’t dump out wooden balls when somebody commits a murder.