Apple may drop the home button from future iPhone models; Netflix leaps ahead in online streaming wars: Midday Roundup

Tech giant Apple has hinted at a new ultra-thin and ultra-narrow iPhone that will eliminate the Home button, reports DigiTimes.

The new design will be possible by the inclusion of a new chip to detect fingerprint sensing directly from the touchscreen.

Apple is reportedly developing the advance chip in-house rather than bringing in a new supplier.

This isn’t the only project on the table for Apple, with the company looking into the ‘Force Touch’ technology, which can tell the difference between a light touch and a stronger touch by users, which would be implemented on the iPhone and Apple Watch.

Netflix leaps ahead in online streaming wars

Figures released by research firm Roy Morgan show that in its first four months in Australia, Netflix gained a base of over 1,039,000 subscribers in 408,000 households around the country.

Roy Morgan surveyed 2088 Australians over the age of 14 residing in Australia. The research firm found Foxtel continues to be the leading paid television service, with over five million people having access to Foxtel in their homes.

The nearest competitor to Netflix is Foxtel’s Presto, which currently has 97,000 subscribers.

Shares up on Greek hope

Local shares are up this morning in anticipation of a deal on the Greek debt crisis.

“Although a resolution on extending further credit Greece is yet to be finalised, markets are acting on the assumption that it’s a foregone conclusion,” said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, in a statement.

“Acting on the assumption that the risks associated with Grexit are behind them, markets have refocussed on adjusting to a world of gradually rising interest rates, led by the US Federal Reserve. This has seen bond yields and the $US on the way up again in international markets.”

The S&P/ASX200 benchmark was down 11 points to 5695.3 points at 12:00pm AEST. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones closed up 0.13%, rising 24.29 points to 18,144.1 points.