Apple Looking to Eliminate Home Button on iOS Devices, Integrate Touch and Display Driver Chips?

Apple is seeking to develop an in-house single-chip solution for integrating both the touchscreen and display drivers for mobile devices onto one chip, according to a new report today from Taiwanese site DigiTimes. The touch and display driver integration (TDDI) chips would also include “integrated fingerprint sensors”, potentially allowing Apple to do away with the iconic home button.

Apple is internally developing touch and display driver integration (TDDI) single-chip solutions for its iPhones, according to sources in Taiwan’s IC design industry.

The TDDI single-chip solutions will also come with integrated fingerprint sensors, said the sources. The integrated design would fit into future iPhone designs – models with ultra-thin and ultra-narrow displays, and with a whole plane design eliminating the Home button.

TDDI is a new advance in the industry, with Synaptics introducing the first such solution earlier this year. Synaptics created its new TDDI chips by leveraging its recent acquisition of chipmaker Renesas SP Drivers, combining Synaptics’ touch technology chipset with Renasas’ display technology. Apple reportedly explored acquiring Renesas SP Drivers last year but the talks failed to lead to a deal.

Synaptics had hoped its acquisition of Renesas SP Drivers and its TDDI chips would entice Apple to once again become a Synaptics customer, but today’s report suggests Apple is pursuing its own solutions.

DigiTimes suggests Apple’s solution could eliminate the traditional iOS device home button, presumably by integrating its functionality into the device’s screen, something Apple has explored in previous patent applications. This could allow future iPhones to see increased display sizes with edge-to-edge screens or smaller form factors with the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays seen on today’s models.

Apple Plans to Release iOS 8.4 GM and iOS 9 Beta 2 Later Today [iOS Blog]

Apple plans to seed iOS 8.4 Golden Master (GM), which has historically been release candidate software, to registered developers today ahead of the Apple Music launch on June 30, reports BGR. iOS 9 beta 2 is also reportedly scheduled for release today, although it is possible that the release date is pushed back by one week to next Monday, June 29.

The iOS 8.4 GM will succeed iOS 8.4 beta 4 and will most likely be the final pre-release version before the software update is publicly released. Apple Music for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch requires iOS 8.4, so the update should be released for all users within the next eight days, with the new streaming music service built into the revamped stock Music app.

Apple Music was announced earlier this month as an all-in-one streaming music service, live global radio station and social platform for artists to connect with fans. The subscription-based service will cost $9.99 per month after a three-month free trial for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC. Apple TV and Android versions of the service will be available in the fall.

Tim Cook: Chinese Consumer Tastes Fueling Gold Color Options, Apple Watch Developer Interest Strong

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently confirmed China’s integral part in the company’s decision to pursue a gold design option in many of its devices. Speaking with a Chinese-language version of Bloomberg Businessweek, Cook stated that the addition of a gold option within the iPhone 5s lineup in 2013 “reflects in part the popularity of that color among Chinese users.”

Apple Inc. takes Chinese consumer tastes into account when it designs many of its products, Chief Executive Tim Cook said, underscoring the country’s importance to the iPhone maker.

The decision to offer a gold iPhone last year reflects in part the popularity of that color among Chinese users, he added. Greater China, which includes Taiwan and Hong Kong, is now Apple’s second-largest market and has become a battleground for the company as it vies with Samsung Electronics Co. and Xiaomi Corp. for smartphone supremacy.

Apple’s decision to tailor major aspects of its devices to China makes sense, given the Greater China area has become the company’s second-largest market over the last few years. In the second quarterly earnings call of 2015, Cook detailed an all-time quarterly revenue record for the Greater China province, growing 71 percent year over year to a grand total of $16.8 billion. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, China accounted for a total of 29 percent of Apple’s revenue in the March quarter.

In the same interview, the Apple CEO reiterated strong developer support for the Apple Watch with over 3500 apps available for the new wrist-worn device. That compares to roughly 500 apps available for the iPhone at the 2008 debut of the App Store and 1000 for the iPad at its 2010 launch.

Cook finished the interview by noting Apple plans to begin more than 180 trial programs in various schools in China, with an aim to “transform traditional educational models and help students contribute to society.” Cook and Apple hope to do this through various Apple-inspired training programs, from helping kids learn the ins-and-outs of music composition with GarageBand to teaching hearing-impaired children how to use smartphones. The company hopes to see the program double in number by the end of 2015.