Apple’s shutter button case highlights the power of software control

In today’s digital age, it sometimes feels like hardware has taken a back seat to the software that drives our devices. Button of the Month will look at what some of those buttons and switches are like on devices old and new to appreciate how we interact with them on a physical, tactile level. The shutter button on Apple’s iPhone 11 Battery Case is not a very good button at all. It’s a soft, rubber indentation on the side of the phone that barely manages to be distinct enough to find without looking for it, let alone offer a satisfying tactile sensation when pressed. And yet, the button is still the best of its kind for one reason: software perks that let it interact with the phone in a way that no other add-on shutter button can. It’s... Continue reading…