iPhone 5 Rectangular Home Button Seems Likely to Happen

Puported iPhone 5 screen protectors obtained by a Chinese web site indicate there will be an elongated home button on Apple’s next-generation iPhone, which falls in line with many recent rumors on the subject.

Likely slated for release in the September - October timeframe, Apple’s next iPhone is believed to sport a bigger screen, both wider and slightly longer, measuring close to four-inches on the diagonal.

In addition to the bigger screen, there are several other rumored design alterations, such as a tapered metal back, and an elongated home button that boasts touch functionality.

Ukwire.hk is flashing around these screen protectors claiming they belong on iPhone 5 units, and they conveniently show a rectangular-oval opening where the home button should be situated.

All iPhones released by Apple so far have a relatively small, round-shaped home button that doesn’t have any purpose other than to be pressed / held down.

The new one on the iPhone 5 is said to be touch-sensitive, in addition to mechanical.

There aren’t many well thought theories as to how users might benefit from the added functionality, but we can agree it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have it.

An iPhone 4 placed on one of these screen protectors indicates that the next iPhone will be slightly larger, which should translate into a bigger screen - one of the most heavily rumored aspects surrounding the iPhone 5 (image on the left).

Seen up close, the film has a narrower opening around the area where the earpiece would be situated as well. This is to accommodate the front facing camera that sits right next to the earpiece. 

It’s not a question of whether these images are genuine, but rather a question of this being a fake product altogether.

Who’s to say China didn’t just spit out a piece of plastic that won’t accommodate a still-round home button on the iPhone 5?

Yet, so far, there have been a lot of leaks that seem to corroborate all these rumored hardware specifications, including the elongated home button.

Apple has been able to keep the iPhone 5 under tight wraps so far, despite reportedly losing another prototype this year. An incremental iPhone 4S model is also expected to arrive this fall.

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