In an apparent effort to persuade customers to upgrade to phones with bigger profit margins, Apple has been exploring for methods to better distinguish its Pro phones from the entry-level versions. For instance, the day when it utilised the same SoC for both families of phones has long since passed. Instead, the iPhone 14 now uses the A16 Bionic rather than the earlier A15 processor. Solid-state buttons are one of the elements that Apple is apparently leaving out of the iPhone 15 in favour of additional functionality that are unique to the Pro versions.
A feature that Apple supplier Cirrus Logic had originally anticipated would generate some incoming money is no longer taking place, according to recent reports. According to Macrumors, the business includes a high-performance, mixed-signal (“HPMS”) branch that offers haptic drivers for the iPhone’s taptic engines. It was originally said that the iPhone 15 Pro will include unique semiconductors that would power additional touch-sensitive buttons, but it now seems that was going too far.
Some or all of the new taptic engines utilised by the solid-state buttons were created by Cirrus Logic. Cirrus Logic stated in the letter to shareholders that the previously reported new functionality has now been formally 86’d. It said, “Among the HPMS opportunities we have discussed, a new product that we previously mentioned in shareholder letters as being scheduled for introduction this autumn is no longer expected to come to market as planned.” The letter continues by stating that it is unknown whether or when Apple will release it. “We are removing the revenue associated with this component from our internal model as we have limited visibility into our customer’s plans for this product at this time.”
This was anticipated to happen last month by renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who noted that solid-state buttons were experiencing “unresolved technical issues before mass production,” which brings to mind the notorious Apple charging mat that was never released. The ring/silent switch might still be replaced with a button, according to Macrumors, which seems like an odd decision. The touch-sensitive button(s) may still make an appearance on the iPhone 16 Pro the following year.
Because you had to hold down two buttons in order to totally switch off the phone, the addition of solid-state buttons was rather contentious. Additionally, if the phone was off or running low on battery, how would tapping a certain place reset it? Apple supposedly had a creative solution for this problem, but it has never been made public. Yet every time Apple eliminates a button from the phone, it sparks outrage since many users still find satisfaction and utility in using physical buttons that offer feedback. Having said that, we had some reservations when FaceID took the place of the Home button, but it worked out just fine. Before we dust off our pitchforks, we’ll have to wait and see what Apple can come up with.
