Widely known as the planet’s best Apple analyst on the planet, Ming-Chi Kuo, a KGI Securities analyst is back in the news again, with the revelation that Apple will be making a huge deletion in the new iPhones to come in 2018.
A Macrumors report stated that Apple has made a decision to “abandon” the very famous Touch ID fingerprint sensor and it will not be seen in any of the future generation of iPhones. Kuo states that as an alternative Touch ID will be completely substituted by Face ID, a thrilling yet polarising technology that involves facial recognition which will make its first appearance in the upcoming iPhone X. The logic that Apple applies behind this is that it firmly believes it will gain an advantage competitively via differentiation, according to Kuo, who said it will take many years for the Android-based competitors to match it.
Nonetheless, this is a huge risk that Apple is taking, especially when the Face ID has not yet appeared on the market and this is likely to be a controversial move for many reasons. First and foremost, even if it works as efficiently as the Touch ID, there are many cases where the physical activity of phone unlocking by looking at it will not be as seamless or subtle as utilising your fingerprint. This comprises of almost everything from trying to align your face to the camera and screen while running or walking, utilising Apple Pay while checking out or even discreetly browsing your phone under the table while stuck in a dull meeting.
Secondly, while Apple commits to not accessing your data, Face ID works on the principle of building a thorough 3D model of your face for recognition purposes. So if the concept of your phone gathering your fingerprints was unsettling, then swapping that feature for a digital record of the exact features of your face will not be appealing enough.
Thirdly, biometrics works best when used in combination. For example: using a fingerprint sensor while your face is being scanned. Hence Apple’s decision to substitute one with the other does not do much to enhance security over Touch ID, as tests have proved.
Face ID is surely a very thrilling technology and in the case of the iPhone X, it facilitates a few great secret features, but there’s no solid reason to completely dismiss the idea of Touch ID. It can be included into the power button, the rear of the phone or maybe even beneath the display and having both the options of Face ID and Touch ID being made available to owners to choose from.
Still Apple attempts at thinking different and Kuo says 2018 iPads will see the addition of Face ID but there is no word on it being included on MacBooks and Macs yet. Also, history shows us that Apple is pretty ruthless when it comes to replacing the older technologies with the new and it’s not surprising as these replacements are always justified in the long-run. But while Face ID may match Touch ID in terms of accuracy and speed, there is no solid proof to show that looking at your iPhone to unlock it is quicker or more convenient than using our fingers to do the same.
A Macrumors report stated that Apple has made a decision to “abandon” the very famous Touch ID fingerprint sensor and it will not be seen in any of the future generation of iPhones. Kuo states that as an alternative Touch ID will be completely substituted by Face ID, a thrilling yet polarising technology that involves facial recognition which will make its first appearance in the upcoming iPhone X. The logic that Apple applies behind this is that it firmly believes it will gain an advantage competitively via differentiation, according to Kuo, who said it will take many years for the Android-based competitors to match it.
Nonetheless, this is a huge risk that Apple is taking, especially when the Face ID has not yet appeared on the market and this is likely to be a controversial move for many reasons. First and foremost, even if it works as efficiently as the Touch ID, there are many cases where the physical activity of phone unlocking by looking at it will not be as seamless or subtle as utilising your fingerprint. This comprises of almost everything from trying to align your face to the camera and screen while running or walking, utilising Apple Pay while checking out or even discreetly browsing your phone under the table while stuck in a dull meeting.
Secondly, while Apple commits to not accessing your data, Face ID works on the principle of building a thorough 3D model of your face for recognition purposes. So if the concept of your phone gathering your fingerprints was unsettling, then swapping that feature for a digital record of the exact features of your face will not be appealing enough.
Thirdly, biometrics works best when used in combination. For example: using a fingerprint sensor while your face is being scanned. Hence Apple’s decision to substitute one with the other does not do much to enhance security over Touch ID, as tests have proved.
Face ID is surely a very thrilling technology and in the case of the iPhone X, it facilitates a few great secret features, but there’s no solid reason to completely dismiss the idea of Touch ID. It can be included into the power button, the rear of the phone or maybe even beneath the display and having both the options of Face ID and Touch ID being made available to owners to choose from.
Still Apple attempts at thinking different and Kuo says 2018 iPads will see the addition of Face ID but there is no word on it being included on MacBooks and Macs yet. Also, history shows us that Apple is pretty ruthless when it comes to replacing the older technologies with the new and it’s not surprising as these replacements are always justified in the long-run. But while Face ID may match Touch ID in terms of accuracy and speed, there is no solid proof to show that looking at your iPhone to unlock it is quicker or more convenient than using our fingers to do the same.
