If you've been following all of the iPhone 8 rumors, you might have a good sense of what to expect, from an OLED display and less stupid Siri to the lack of a Touch ID button. The latter would be integrated into the screen.
But a new report says the iPhone 8, which could be called the iPhone X (for the iPhone's 10th anniversary) might not have any buttons at all. Huh? Oh, and it could easily cost $1,000.
According to Fast Company, "there's a chance that the physical buttons on the sides of the iPhone may go away...replaced by touch-sensitive inlays in the metal."
That would be a radical departure for the iPhone line, which has had the trusty ringer switch and volume buttons since the very beginning. Would consumers be comfortable with the lack of any true buttons?
MORE: If the iPhone 8 Looks Like This, the Galaxy S8 Is in Trouble
It could be that Apple was getting us ready with the iPhone 7, which turned the Touch ID button into a virtual button via a taptic engine. The button doesn't really depress, it just feels like it does.
As for the $1,000 price, Fast Company reports that the iPhone 8/X could reach that threshold because Apple is likely paying twice as much for the OLED screens. The site also mentions that that the flagship could use more memory, and RAM prices are going up.
The current iPhone 7 Plus costs $969 for the 256GB version, and the 128GB and 32GB models cost $868 and $769, respectively. So it's not outlandish to say that the iPhone 8 will start at around $1,000. Just a few days ago, a report surfaced that the Galaxy S8 could go for close to $1,000.
But Tim Cook & Co. are going to have to bring other features to the table to justify the premium. These could include facial recognition or perhaps unique augmented reality features. The latest reports have wireless charging coming to all three new iPhones, including the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, so Apple will need something else to get us excited.
The iPhone 8 could indeed cause sticker shock, but the biggest shock of all would be the bold move to go completely buttonless.
