Following this week's news about the next iPhone to have instead of a Home button (Home) with Touch ID Below the screen, a function bar, is the question: where would the fingerprint reader be located? In the back? Maybe docked screen? There are many theories, and now one more has just appeared: it simply would not exist anymore.
According to the analyst Rod hallfrom JPMorgan, such an iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) would completely get rid of Touch ID to clear the way for a larger screen. Contrary to all other theories, Hall suggests that the user would be identified not by his fingerprint, but by facial recognition.
Facial recognition would be achieved by a 3D laser scanner, and the proof of this would be the high demand for modules of this type at various Apple vendors. This scanner would increase by $ 10 to $ 15 the total price of the product.
Hall also states that with facial recognition, users would get rid of the errors that Touch ID presents when fingers are wet. He also stated that the technology would be safer when using Apple Pay. One more reason for adopting technology would be that it could be used to improve augmented reality which would probably only be adopted from 2018.
One obvious and potentially more compelling use would be augmented and virtual reality, where the user's hands and other real-world objects will be scanned and integrated into an iPhone-supplied field of view mounted on something like a Google Daydream and headphones. This would provide many interesting gaming and entertainment experiences not available today, and Apple may have a differential over RA / RV accessories compared to Google and others.
Finally, Hall comments on the possibility of Apple announcing the new handset at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 5, though the company has not done so since the iPhone 4 (in 2010).
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Facial recognition technology is by no means a bad thing to implement or improve. However, it is hard to believe that it would be more comfortable than the simple Touch ID we quickly got used to. Also, juggling to put your face in front of the device when we need to use Apple Pay does not seem to me more practical.
With regard to such a module being used for augmented reality, which appears as a secondary in Hall's speech, it could very well be the main factor of existing in the devices which would be a very plausible reason and may have the support in the rumor that improvements would come. in the Camera app to assist in RA / RV. However, the use of this module does not prevent in my opinion, that both technologies coexist, both facial recognition and Touch ID (even elsewhere in the device).
(via MacRumors)
