According to recent reports, the speculation about Apple using
solid-state volume buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro may not be happening
after all. Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has given a hint that the project
has been cancelled and the company will revert to normal, clickable
buttons.
The supplier has informed investors in a letter that a product
previously scheduled for introduction this fall will no longer come to
market as planned, but cannot disclose that Apple was its customer for
this tech due to confidentiality agreements. This news almost confirms
the rumors about the abandonment of the solid-state volume buttons.
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HPMS is a term used by Cirrus Logic to describe a high-performance,
mixed-signal segment that includes the haptic drivers for Apple's Taptic
Engine in iPhones. If Apple had introduced solid-state buttons, the
iPhone 15 Pro would have had two extra Taptic Engines to provide haptic
feedback for these buttons.
Cirrus Logic previously implied in a shareholder letter that it supplied
the haptic drivers for Apple's Taptic Engine, without explicitly
stating it. Apple is Cirrus Logic's biggest customer, responsible for
78% of its revenue in the 2022 fiscal year.
Ming-chi Kuo, who often shares Apple-related rumors, suggests that the
iPhone 15 Pro won't have solid-state buttons due to "unresolved
technical issues before mass production". In simpler terms, there were
problems that prevented the buttons from being made in large quantities.
Despite the cancellation of the solid-state buttons, the iPhone 15 Pro
is still set to introduce a new feature: the Action button. This button
will replace the ring/mute switch and is expected to be fully
customizable, similar to the Apple Watch Ultra. While the volume buttons
will remain the same, the Action button will add a new level of
functionality and personalization to the iPhone 15 Pro.
Analyst Jeff Pu suggests that Apple may not have completely abandoned
the idea of solid-state volume buttons. Instead, the company may
postpone the introduction of this technology until next year, with plans
to include it in the iPhone 16 Pro.
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