Will a Future iPad and iPhone Have a Digital Crown Like the Apple Watch?

According to a recent Patently Apple article, Jony Ive and his team are considering use of the Digital Crown on the iPad and iPhone. From the article:

“Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals that Jony Ive and his team have considered expanding the Apple Watch’s digital crown to other iOS devices such as the iPad. Apple notes that the digital crown could be used as a volume controller or locking the touch screen, turning on the touch screen, taking a picture, resizing text and other actions.”

Along with the detailed figure above, the article relays some technical information about tactile feedback. But what we all really want to know is, why would Apple use the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown technology on iOS devices? My own theory is that this supports the rumors that Apple will be eliminating the home button on the iPhone and iPad in order to have a smooth, unbroken, unmarked face for all of their devices. The Digital Crown could allow them to do this. However, I’m not sure that the uses spelled out above necessarily jibe with that idea.

Also, the Digital Crown seems rather skeuomorphic to me. It’s okay on the Apple Watch, since crowns have always been on watches. But to add it to the sleek iPhone or iPad goes against the Apple aesthetic.

Additionally, as many Apple Watch wearers know, the Digital Crown sometimes gets stuck, and Apple’s recommendation for getting it unstuck involves running it under warm water. And we all know that water and iPhones/iPads do not mix. Unless Apple is waterproofing their future iOS devices, which would be awesome.

Apple files for many patents, most of which are never used in their products. This could be one of the many “just in case” patents Apple acquires.