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Apple's design of the single button is really smart, and I doubt they'd abandon it any time soon. Why is it smart? Because it allows people who have no prior k

Apple's design of the single button is really smart, and I doubt they'd abandon it any time soon. Why is it smart? Because it allows people who have no prior knowledge of an iPad (or iPhone) to understand how to work it immediately. The fact it's a hardware button is a bonus, because people know how to work those who've never used a touch device before. The problem with gestural interfaces is that creating affordance is difficult. It's the reason that draggable things on iOS usually still have drag handles. When there's a single button that brings you back to a predictable state, it's impossible to get lost.

danso 15y ago
Yes, though I wonder if the power button could conceivably fit that role? Pressing it once returns you to the home screen. Holding it down powers the system off. I do prefer a physical button over the gestures...there are many apps that use multi finger touches and those sometimes are interpreted as iOS multi-tasking gestures, which interrupts the app.
- gareim 15y ago
  I'm a little bit paranoid about physical buttons breaking down over time, so if the power button got increased usage, I'd probably get a bit worried. That is the reason I dislike the idea of a physical home button, but at the same time, it seems like it's the best idea right now. A friend didn't know gestures existed on the iPad until I showed her recently and she is by no means not smart. I also know many people who didn't know about gestures on WebOS and instead used the flimsy home button on the TouchPad. For now, I think Apple's home button is the best solution, but I'm constantly hoping for a better way to do it without getting ordinary users confused.
kennu 15y ago
Totally agree. When you give people only one way to proceed, they will try it, even if they don't know what will happen. (Which doesn't preclude five-finger pinches and other additional gestures -- people just won't realize they're there unless they read some manual.) I think some of the other hardware buttons could be removed from the iPad though, such as the volume buttons.

danso 15y ago

Yes, though I wonder if the power button could conceivably fit that role? Pressing it once returns you to the home screen. Holding it down powers the system off. I do prefer a physical button over the gestures...there are many apps that use multi finger touches and those sometimes are interpreted as iOS multi-tasking gestures, which interrupts the app.

gareim 15y ago
I'm a little bit paranoid about physical buttons breaking down over time, so if the power button got increased usage, I'd probably get a bit worried. That is the reason I dislike the idea of a physical home button, but at the same time, it seems like it's the best idea right now. A friend didn't know gestures existed on the iPad until I showed her recently and she is by no means not smart. I also know many people who didn't know about gestures on WebOS and instead used the flimsy home button on the TouchPad. For now, I think Apple's home button is the best solution, but I'm constantly hoping for a better way to do it without getting ordinary users confused.

kennu 15y ago

Totally agree. When you give people only one way to proceed, they will try it, even if they don't know what will happen. (Which doesn't preclude five-finger pinches and other additional gestures -- people just won't realize they're there unless they read some manual.) I think some of the other hardware buttons could be removed from the iPad though, such as the volume buttons.