Apple had introduced Face Id as its most advanced security system when they launched iPhone X last year, superior even to the Touch ID introduced by the iPhone 5S. However, if speculations regarding Apple’s latest patents are to be believed, it’s only a matter of time before Apple reintroduces Touch id in its upcoming line of devices.
The tech outlined in the document designated the patent application number 20180225498, spotted by Patently Apple, is already available in the market; and was also filed by Apple engineer Dale Setlak, erstwhile employee of Authentec, a company that Apple bought back in 2012 to acquire technology that eventually got released as Apple Touch ID. And while the feature may not make its way into the devices lined up for launch in 2018, it is only a matter of time before it makes its appearance.
Setlak’s filings outline a design that involves using multiple cameras under the smartphone’s display, enabling the device to map the 3D structure of a user’s fingerprint for authentication. This technology closely resembles the tech used in devices like the Vivo X21 and the rumored Samsung Galaxy S10. Apple’s patent, for its part, takes the idea a step further, with the system working pretty much anywhere on display.
Apple’s ambition to make the iPhone an eventual replacement for documents like passports in the future shall be greatly aided by an improved fingerprint sensor. Furthermore, the Face Id recognition, when combined with an all-display Touch Id, shall strengthen the iPhone’s already strong security system.
The latest specifications of the iPhone X might be unveiled sometime within the next few weeks. As of now, speculations that Apple is releasing three new devices this year – a direct successor to the iPhone X, a larger iPhone X Plus, and a budget LCD-screened 6.1-inch iPhone – are making the rounds. Pricing for the devices remains to be announced, though speculations suggest that the smartphones would be priced more competitively than Apple’s previous flagships.
A Forbes report suggests that Apple would unveil its latest iPhones, along with a revamped Apple Watch Series 4, and a new MacBook Air, on September 12, 2018.
