iPhone 2017 reportedly won't have a Home button; support for Japan's tap-to-pay tech

According to a newly-published report, Apple is expected to make big changes to its iPhone next year.

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Apple is reportedly making two big changes on its iPhone that will remove its Home button as well as allow its Japanese users to pay for mass-transit rides with a simple swipe of their device.

According to a recent report from Bloomberg, next year’s iPhone is expected to focus more heavily on its display, and as a result, its Home button is being removed.

The publication previously reported this year’s iPhone 7 would not only feature a updated Home button, but would completely do away with its headphone port altogether. With that said, it’s strange to see Apple offer a new Home button to only remove it entirely in an upcoming device. Although on the other hand, these reports don’t necessarily talk about an iPhone within the same family, meaning the next phablet or hand-sized iPhones could be doing away with their Home button.

In addition to making changes to the iPhone’s Home button, Apple is also expected to include technology called FeliCa in its Japanese phones. The technology will allow next year’s iPhone to support the region’s tap-to-pay standard. While NFC technology powers Apple Pay, supporting FeliCa would allow Apple to become more widely accepted in Japan considering there are 1.9 million terminals in the country alone.

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