Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone 8 to have Touch Bar like MacBook Pro?

Lion007s

Lion007s

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 16, 2014
180
202
Australia
This is just a theory of mine. Since the Home button takes up too much space and Apple prefers keeping symmetry between the top and bottom of the iPhone.... what if they added a Touch Bar at the bottom of the phone that took up considerably less space and also included a built in Touch ID sensor into the Touch Bar?

Do you think this might be a possibility? It would allow for virtual on screen controls which are always present or contextually change per app to allow quick access just like the MacBook Pro. You could have an always present Home Button, use it as an always on display to show notifications etc - all of course with the Touch Bar being possibly a second OLED display that seamlessly integrates with the main display to make it all look like one piece.

Thoughts? :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: LoveToMacRumors
Lion007s

Lion007s

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 16, 2014
180
202
Australia
T5BRICK said:
Why would you add a second display directly below the main display? That function could just be accomplished on the main display, just like some Android devices. It'd be much simpler to build and implement in software.
Click to expand...

That's true, since it's one massive OLED panel they could just turn the part below the dock into a touch bar with virtual Home present and not require a secondary display!
 
T5BRICK

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,314
2,391
Oregon
Lion007s said:
That's true, since it's one massive OLED panel they could just turn the part below the dock into a touch bar with virtual Home present and not require a secondary display!
Click to expand...

They'd just need to figure out a way to build the touchID sensor into the screen, or place it on the back like some Android devices.
 
Lion007s

Lion007s

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 16, 2014
180
202
Australia
T5BRICK said:
They'd just need to figure out a way to build the touchID sensor into the screen, or place it on the back like some Android devices.
Click to expand...

I don't think Apple would ever place the fingerprint sensor on the back. I just don't see Apple being that sort of company. Into the screen I think would have a higher possibility. It'll be interesting to see what they do - if anything at all lol
 
M

macTW

Suspended
Oct 17, 2016
1,395
1,975
I definitely had this thought when I saw their touch bar on the laptops. This year's devices seem to be test grounds for potential killer features. The iPhone 7's haptic feedback (home button that isn't a button) may lead to a home "button" built in to the screen while the macbook pro touch bar may be beginning the migration of touch id into a screen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: scapegoat81
I

itsray

macrumors 6502
Jun 5, 2016
474
326
Newtons Apple said:
Never too early to speculate here. I am betting on OLED from all I have read. Apple better get their stuff together to meet even half the hype we are already seeing on the 8. Implementation of Touch ID on the new screen will not be a problem.
Click to expand...

hopefully. this year wasnt as good as i hoped it would be with what was released.
 
Newtons Apple

Newtons Apple

Suspended
Mar 12, 2014
22,757
15,254
Jacksonville, Florida
itsray said:
hopefully. this year wasnt as good as i hoped it would be with what was released.
Click to expand...

Like the new haptic motor and home button but all in all the 7 was an incremental advance.

The pressure will be on Apple for the 8. Does worry me a little as with the drastic changes rumored come the possibility of things being wrong. BIG pressure Apple!
 
G

geoff5093

macrumors 68020
Sep 16, 2014
2,251
2,564
That would be idiotic. The phone already is touch responsive, if you are using your fingers to navigate an app, why would you move to the bottom of the screen to interact with certain portions rather than with the screen itself?
 
  • Like
Reactions: navier
lordofthereef

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,721
Boston, MA
I don't see this as terribly feasible. I do, however, see them doing Ike's and allowing only parts of the display to light up depending on what you're doing. Perhaps a touch bar-like interface could be realized in this way.
 
bobob

bobob

macrumors 68040
Jan 11, 2008
3,437
2,520
The MacBook has a Touch Bar to take advantage of some of iOS's flexibility - there would be no advantage to adding it to an iPhone. I think that Apple will go above and beyond that and introduce some of the advantages of the MacBook to the iPhone by introducing their new Type Bar - a row of physical function keys along one side of the iPhone 8!
 
LoveToMacRumors

LoveToMacRumors

macrumors 68030
Feb 15, 2015
2,648
2,759
Canada
T5BRICK said:
Why would you add a second display directly below the main display? That function could just be accomplished on the main display, just like some Android devices. It'd be much simpler to build and implement in software.
Click to expand...
Because they can't put the touch ID under the display, but they can still do it on the function area.
 
M

Macinoah

macrumors member
Jun 4, 2016
35
11
itsray said:
theres no concrete fact that the iPhone for 2017 will be OLED.
Click to expand...
Well it should. While there have been many improvements on the iPhone’s display, it still has an LCD display. Now if the iPhone 8 (with the rumored bezel-free design) still had the traditional LCD display that was used since the original iPhone, it would look a little dated next to a modern “bezel-free” phone (i.e Galaxy S8).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom