Patent suggests Apple is considering an iPhone with joystick
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Apple has patented an iPhone with a pop-out joystick in the home key.
Patents are not a guarantee of things actually happening, but IGN turned up a July 2013 Apple filing with the US Patent & Trademark Office for a new kind of iPhone.
Described as a “multi-function input device", the joystick usually lives inside the iPhone's body, flush with the surface, and functions like the Home button. When pressed it pops out.
Apple specifically calls out the potential use of the joystick in gaming, mentioning the "shortcomings" of touchscreen controls.