You don't need a button on your smartphone anymore ...? ■ Physical buttons are only an obstacle Is it possible to make smartphones buttonless in the first place? I think it is possible enough. Rather, I can't help but wonder why the volume control buttons and manner buttons (incoming / silent switch) have remained physical buttons. [1] The volume control button is good at the control center . Introduction It is a volume control button. How many times a day do you adjust the volume of your smartphone? It is rare for people to make detailed settings depending on the content to be handled. Now that Korona-ka is in the air, there are more opportunities to use smartphones to kill time, but if you have a lifestyle like 2019, you should have had fewer opportunities to adjust the volume of your smartphone. Rather, I think there are many people who are still in silent mode all the time. For example, in the case of iPhone, you can call the control center by flicking from the upper right to the bottom of the main unit, but the volume adjustment is set by default in this. I used to wonder what it means to put the volume control in the control center even though there is a physical button on the side of the main unit, but in reality I started to wonder if it was the opposite. "Why do you need to arrange the functions that can be done in the control center with physical buttons?" You can adjust the volume in the app on YouTube etc., or you can change the volume just by talking to Siri. Although the volume control button on the iPhone has multiple other functions, it is becoming an "unnecessary component" when it comes to volume control. Not only the control center, but even the lock screen can adjust the volume by software. What is the significance of the existence of physical buttons? [2] The manners button is also a function that makes you feel that you do not need a physical button than the volume adjustment button, which is good for software operation . In the case of the iPhone, this is the "incoming / silent switch", but most people probably have the opportunity to operate this button below the volume control button. In the first place, it is a function that has already been switched on the software on Android devices. There is no point in leaving it as a physical button on the main unit like the iPhone. In the case of the iPhone, only the switch that has been left since the first iPhone, maybe Apple has left it as a symbol or identity of the iPhone, but the more symbolic home button is soon I lost it, so I don't think it's a problem even if I remove this switch. Isn't the incoming / silent switch on your iPhone unnecessary anymore? [3] The side button of the iPhone is a good fingerprint sensor. Since it is used for restarting the main unit and recovery in case of emergency, I think that the power button (side button for iPhone) is the most difficult to make into software, but in the extreme, this I think that it can be deleted by distributing the functions. For example, when considering the operation of the side button of the iPhone, there are various uses such as: -Turning the screen on / off-Confirming electronic payment-Taking a screenshot (using the volume control button), but these are all fingerprints It can be replaced with a sensor (touch sensor). As long as the screen is turned on and off, an accelerometer, as it is still used today, will suffice. In the first place, at the time of iPhone 7, the home button was changed from a physically pressed button to a fingerprint sensor + Taptic Engine that gives the user a pseudo-pressed feeling, and the specifications continue even now with the 2nd generation iPhone SE etc. It has been. Similarly, in the high-end series, the fingerprint sensor can be revived to replace many of the functions of the side buttons. Rather, using a fingerprint sensor will enable the use of two biometrics, "face authentication + fingerprint authentication", at the time of electronic payment, which will greatly improve the security level. Fingerprint authentication is said to have a lower security level than face recognition, but there should be almost no disadvantages when used in combination with face recognition. [4] Fingerprint sensors can reduce erroneous operations. Fingerprint sensors also play a role in preventing erroneous operations. Will be. One of the nice things about physical buttons is that they can be finger rested. A finger rest is a state where your finger is placed on the button, and it has the advantages that it is easier to press the button accurately and that you are less tired than keeping your finger floating. If you just put a touch sensor on the side part, you will not be able to use the finger rest and the hold feeling of the smartphone body will be worse, or there is an increased possibility that you will touch it by mistake and operate it incorrectly. However, if you use a fingerprint sensor so that it does not respond to anything other than the registered fingerprint, erroneous operations will be reduced and there will be no problem even if you touch or hold it with a finger other than the registered finger. Of course, it would be effective to use in-screen fingerprint authentication like smartphones made by other companies. Considering that even a physical button may hit something or be pushed in a pocket and malfunction, the advantages and disadvantages of malfunction and malfunction can be said to be advantages and disadvantages. In that case, I feel that I don't have to stick to physical buttons. Fingerprint sensors do not work even if they are touched or bumped by anything other than a finger. [5] Fingerprint sensors are necessary in the age of with corona. Above all, the biggest reason why the iPhone 12 series is currently disappointing as a smartphone is "biometric authentication." Isn't it the point that only face recognition is supported? Now that wearing a mask has become commonplace due to the Korona-ka, the regret that face recognition does not pass through the mask is that users feel lonely (there is a method to set it trickily, but it is not certain. ). There are rumors that face recognition will pass through the mask on the next iPhone, but it is not credible at the rumor level. If in-screen fingerprint authentication is difficult because the display quality cannot be maintained, there should be no problem with mounting it on the side part. As mentioned above, there is no doubt that the fingerprint sensor is very useful as a substitute for the button, so if that is the case, it will be installed on the side or inside the screen and used as an auxiliary function for screen unlocking and payment authentication along with face recognition. Is also an effective means. Some people even say that they don't buy the iPhone 12 series because face recognition cannot be done through the mask. [6] The degree of freedom in design is greatly improved. Personally, I feel that it is a great advantage in terms of design. is. By eliminating the home button, smartphones have made great progress in terms of design. Not only was it possible to increase the size of the display, but it was also possible to extend it in the vertical direction without difficulty, freeing us from the "curse" of the aspect ratio of 16: 9, and greatly enhancing multitasking operations such as watching movies and splitting into two screens. I made it comfortable. Similarly, the elimination of buttons from the side feels like a big advantage. Not only is it a symmetric and primitive design, but the design of protective cases and holders, which have been avoided as "obstructing button operations", removes obstacles. In the first place, it seems that the fact that the buttons are placed on the left and right sides that should be held by hand was a symbol of inconvenience. There used to be a time when Japanese smartphone makers were very particular about physical buttons. "I tried to attach a shutter button", "I tried to attach a custom button that can register my favorite application", and even though there is a home button, "I tried to attach a button dedicated to Google Assistant" There was even a smartphone. Certainly, some people may find it easy to use with those buttons, but the point of having to bother with something that originally has other means is a word of "worst" in terms of design alone. is. It's like watching a TV remote control. To put it bluntly, this is the extreme of ugliness in design. [7] People get used to it, and what I think is most important for buttonlessness is "people get used to it." In the past, when the home button was abolished, when the Android navigation button was softwareized, and when the earphone jack disappeared, many people strongly criticized "Why do you do such an inconvenience?" I remember I was there. On the contrary, even when migrating from feature phones (garakei) to smartphones, many people label it as "it's dirty to touch the screen with your finger" and "it's hard to use without a numeric keypad". Sometimes I refused. But what about? Looking at the current rise of smartphones and sales share, there is no sign that smartphones that operate the screen with fingers are not selling, iPhones without a home button are avoided, and Android has a revival of the physical button navigation area. Everyone is quickly accustomed to the new UI and is using it conveniently. With the volume control and etiquette buttons gone, most people will probably get used to the software in no time. I think that even the side button and the power button will soon get used to the new manners when they are gone. If you think more purely about "Is this function or part necessary?" Rather than how you are using it now, even the current smartphone that seems to have cut waste to the limit is surprisingly unnecessary. You will notice that there are many. I think that even external connection terminals such as Lightning terminal and USB Type-C terminal are no longer necessary, but I will write it at another time. Don't underestimate the adaptability of people ■ Expectations for smartphones that can be "suggested" to people Perhaps the most troublesome thing about buttonless operation is how to perform physical operations to restart and recover smartphones. But how much do you use restarting the power supply in the first place? Do you remember how many days ago you restarted your phone? If it's a feature you rarely use, it doesn't make any sense to place it where you always touch it. Specifications such as inserting a pin and restarting, as in the procedure for pulling out the SIM tray, are sufficient. Steve Jobs, the creator of the iPhone, said at the 2007 iPhone recital, projecting a smartphone with a traditional physical QWERTY keyboard on the screen. Jobs created an iPhone with a full-screen & multi-touch sensor because it cuts from the part of "Is it really necessary?" We were able to put the now-common concept of configuring into mobile devices. Jobs pointed to the QWERTY keyboard in the lower half of the terminal and said, "This is no good". The physical buttons scattered around the current smartphone, which was truncated, may also have to be truncated as a legacy function. At least the technology and migration preparation needed for that are already in place. Software operation is sufficient for volume adjustment and manner mode. Hide the power button that you don't normally use so that you can't see it. My ideal is a smartphone that has no physical buttons, terminals, or SIM slots, and is completely like a single board. It may be too extreme, but it's the ultimate design. The following are manufacturing merits rather than user merits, and I did not introduce them in the above section because it is not necessary to explain the reason, but [8] Parts can be reduced in number and cost [9] Parts The risk of physical failure can be reduced by reducing the number of points. [10] There is also such a merit that the strength of the housing can be improved by integrating the side parts . In fact, when the iPhone 6 was released, there was a lot of talk about the problem that the housing strength near the volume control button was not enough and it was easy to bend. Do you feel like a buttonless smartphone? Or do you still think you need a button? Smartphone makers may also need the ability to understand user needs, but I also feel that they want such a strong assertion that "smartphones should be like this in the future" and proposals with solid grounds. Real innovation cannot be created just by arranging the functions that people want. Article Writing: Ken Akiyoshi ■ Related Links ・ Esmax (S-MAX) ・ Esmax (S-MAX) smaxjp on Twitter ・ S-MAX --Facebook Page / Series "Akiyoshi Ken's Arcaic Singularity" Article List --S-MAX Tweet
