ipad 3 part with home buttonApple’s own teaser photo of the iPad 3 depicts what appears to be a new tablet device with no home button. But new photos of purported iPad 3 parts show cutouts for a home button. Has Apple created an unintended negative consequence for a poorly chosen press photo?
Early speculation that the new iPad 3 may include a much more overhauled design, complete with a discontinuation of the traditional home button, is now being refuted by tech media outlets claiming to have gotten their hands on iPad 3 parts with home buttons and home button cutouts. The excitement over the prospect of an iPad 3 with no home button came after the release of Apple’s official press invitation teaser photo, which depicts a finger touching the calendar icon on what looks like the lower center of an iPad, but revealing no home button.
But according to M.I.C. Gadget and others, parts for the new iPad 3 have been obtained, and they clearly show a cutout for the home button: “Despite the rumors that Apple would be having no home button on their next-generation iPad, we have gotten our hands on the parts through our sources, and are now able to objectively tell you our readers the truth . . . We do have the front cover piece (in the video above), and despite Apple creatively tilting the iPad to landscape to fuel speculation, (somewhere Tim Cook must be laughing) we can indeed confirm there is a home button.”
Assuming that M.I.C. Gadget‘s photos are real (and that’s a big assumption), they seem more willing to forgive Apple for such a major PR snafu than potential iPad users may be, since their own press photo would account for a real bait and switch.
It’s easy for cynics to blame the hysteria over Apple’s seemingly home button-less iPad 3 teaser photo on the tech media or eager Apple enthusiasts — but come on, that photo doesn’t show a home button. Apple knows better than anyone else the level of scrutiny that all of their teaser photos garner. After all, they are responsible for the hype: over the years, they’ve made these photos increasingly symbolic, adding fuel to the already-hyped rumor mill. But for Apple, they need to be able to deliver on the innuendo of their teaser photos, or risk engineering a big let-down.ipad 3 teaser photo with no home button
If the iPad 3 turns out to include a home button, it most certainly will not hurt its long-term sales — we’ve already written at length about the sales projections for the iPad 3. But from a PR standpoint, this will be the second time in less than a year that Apple will have failed to live up to expectations: up until the day that the iPhone 4S was released, most everyone was expecting an overhauled iPhone 5 or, at the very least, a dal released iPhone 4S and 5.
There is one more thing to consider: the veracity of these iPad 3 part photos. I’ve often argued that Apple keeps its new products’ form factors closest to its vest, and I doubt that it is easy to get your hands on any parts that would give away the entire look of the iPad 3 just days before its official release. In short, I still think there is a good chance that we might see a form factor overhaul and yes, maybe no home button, on the iPad 3.
Early speculation that the new iPad 3 may include a much more overhauled design, complete with a discontinuation of the traditional home button, is now being refuted by tech media outlets claiming to have gotten their hands on iPad 3 parts with home buttons and home button cutouts. The excitement over the prospect of an iPad 3 with no home button came after the release of Apple’s official press invitation teaser photo, which depicts a finger touching the calendar icon on what looks like the lower center of an iPad, but revealing no home button.
But according to M.I.C. Gadget and others, parts for the new iPad 3 have been obtained, and they clearly show a cutout for the home button: “Despite the rumors that Apple would be having no home button on their next-generation iPad, we have gotten our hands on the parts through our sources, and are now able to objectively tell you our readers the truth . . . We do have the front cover piece (in the video above), and despite Apple creatively tilting the iPad to landscape to fuel speculation, (somewhere Tim Cook must be laughing) we can indeed confirm there is a home button.”
Assuming that M.I.C. Gadget‘s photos are real (and that’s a big assumption), they seem more willing to forgive Apple for such a major PR snafu than potential iPad users may be, since their own press photo would account for a real bait and switch.
It’s easy for cynics to blame the hysteria over Apple’s seemingly home button-less iPad 3 teaser photo on the tech media or eager Apple enthusiasts — but come on, that photo doesn’t show a home button. Apple knows better than anyone else the level of scrutiny that all of their teaser photos garner. After all, they are responsible for the hype: over the years, they’ve made these photos increasingly symbolic, adding fuel to the already-hyped rumor mill. But for Apple, they need to be able to deliver on the innuendo of their teaser photos, or risk engineering a big let-down.ipad 3 teaser photo with no home button
If the iPad 3 turns out to include a home button, it most certainly will not hurt its long-term sales — we’ve already written at length about the sales projections for the iPad 3. But from a PR standpoint, this will be the second time in less than a year that Apple will have failed to live up to expectations: up until the day that the iPhone 4S was released, most everyone was expecting an overhauled iPhone 5 or, at the very least, a dal released iPhone 4S and 5.
There is one more thing to consider: the veracity of these iPad 3 part photos. I’ve often argued that Apple keeps its new products’ form factors closest to its vest, and I doubt that it is easy to get your hands on any parts that would give away the entire look of the iPad 3 just days before its official release. In short, I still think there is a good chance that we might see a form factor overhaul and yes, maybe no home button, on the iPad 3.
I'm glad you've found this post useful. Yes, that's the exact feeling one gets when first moving to Apple products. But once you get accustomed to it, you'll love it.
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