Rumor: Apple to feature sapphire crystal touch home button on 'iPhone 5S'

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  • Reply 21 of 89
    MacPromacpro Posts: 19,864member
    hydr wrote: »
    It´s extremely secure. We are not talking about a "fingerprint" datapoint, we are talking about a biometric scanner that measures a whole set of data points including thickness of skin, blood pressure, print pattern, etc. It is very secure indeed.

    Blood pressure too eh? Clever. So .... cutting off a finger won't work then! So much for all the TV shows and films that do that then. I just hope the street gangs know this fact. :D

    If this does happen, how long before the Scamsung paid shills start pressing their fingers too hard then?
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  • Reply 22 of 89
    pedromartinspedromartins Posts: 1,333member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by GTR View Post



    Scratch-resistant touch-sensitive button?







    We'll put that name to the test...


    Can you imagine the same guys that found that power button bug (press the button x times during y seconds, stay pressed, etc) trying to scratch it?

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  • Reply 23 of 89

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post


    I wonder. Do you guys even know that blackberry live is live (lol) right now?


     


    Only the verge is covering, no one else gives a damn anymore. No ads, no news, no rumours... Only the home button matter.



     


    It's also possible that BlackBerry is a separate company that isn't really relevant to the interests of the community here. Or more accurately, we're sticking to what the thread is about - fingerprint sensor on the home button.

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  • Reply 24 of 89
    irelandireland Posts: 17,800member
    I wonder. Do you guys even know that blackberry live is live (lol) right now?

    Only the verge is covering, no one else gives a damn anymore. No ads, no news, no rumours... Only the home button matter.

    What are you talking about?
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  • Reply 25 of 89
    pedromartinspedromartins Posts: 1,333member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Mike Barriault View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post


    I wonder. Do you guys even know that blackberry live is live (lol) right now?


     


    Only the verge is covering, no one else gives a damn anymore. No ads, no news, no rumours... Only the home button matter.



     


    It's also possible that BlackBerry is a separate company that isn't really relevant to the interests of the community here. Or more accurately, we're sticking to what the thread is about - fingerprint sensor on the home button.



    That wasn't my point.


     


    The fact that no tech site cares about it is my point.

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  • Reply 26 of 89
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Blood pressure too eh? Clever. So .... cutting off a finger won't work then! So much for all the TV shows and films that do that then. I just hope the street gangs know this fact. :D

    If this does happen, how long before the Scamsung paid shills start pressing their fingers too hard then?

    Years ago Mythbusters did an episode on such security. Bypassing the fingerprint scanner, which the vendor said had never been bypassed, was easily bypassed. This super advanced sensors also measured if the finger was alive but licking the finger made of the user's fingerprint was enough to fool the device. I don't know more modern devices measure blood pressure but I bet they can be fooled by simulating the same pressure found in humans (it can't be the same as when the scan was input as this varies) or use whatever method it uses (e.g.: sound, radio, etc.) to mimic the same resistance as with blood within a certain range of pressure. There are just too many technologies that mimic human blood and tissue that I don't think any biometric will be hard to bypass. I bet that any biometric Apple adds will be bypassed in less time than it takes to jailbreak the next iOS version.
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  • Reply 27 of 89
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    I wonder. Do you guys even know that blackberry live is live (lol) right now?

    Only the verge is covering, no one else gives a damn anymore. No ads, no news, no rumours... Only the home button matter.

    That wasn't my point.

    The fact that no tech site cares about it is my point.

    AI covers a lot of tech. You've never see the "I thought this was AppleInsider not SamsungInsider" posts?

    I think the reason no one cares about this event is because it seems, at least to me, that BB just had an event. These are not only so close together but so similar in appearance that I'm certain there is a glitch in the Matrix. Follow the white rabbit.
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  • Reply 28 of 89
    genovellegenovelle Posts: 1,481member


    I have never had one to fail either.  I had the original and the 3GS now the 5.  I keep the others for quite a while. The mute switch on the other hand did go out.

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  • Reply 29 of 89
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    ifij775 wrote: »
    That home button was an engineering disaster
    I thought it was upgraded on the iPhone 5...?
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  • Reply 30 of 89
    jupiteronejupiterone Posts: 1,564member
    I've owned 4 different iPhone models and each one had its Home button become unreliable in less than two years. None failed outright, but eventually, I had to press the Home button very hard on some models and on others, it would get confused between single and double-clicks.
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  • Reply 31 of 89
    jason98jason98 Posts: 768member
    the home button should go away for the same reason that the keyboard needed to go. It is useless mod of the time.

    Give the same functionality to the power button or something to have a safe way out, but eliminate that and cram a bigger screen on it.

    Or better make the screen itself finger sensible with endless possibilities for new ui or game interactions.
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  • Reply 32 of 89
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,391member


    If the home button ceases to be a physical button, this will be the boldest move since the introduction of the iPhone. There's just something inherently satisfying, and confidence inducing, and actually having the button depress. I despise capacitive buttons. If Apple can figure out a way to give a decent amount of feedback while preventing accidental usage, then I agree, it would be an improvement. But the current button is definitely a major part of the iPhone's intuitiveness. 

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  • Reply 33 of 89
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Mike Barriault View Post



    I just can't see the physical home button going away, as while the mechanism can certainly be improved, physical buttons are so much more reliable than capacitive buttons when it comes to feel. I do like the use of sapphire crystal though, would definitely give it a signature feel, and a fingerprint sensor is a very secure, proven reliable form of security (especially when compared to facial recognition).


     


    Yeah, this seems like three rumours rolled into one.  The rumour that they will have a fingerprint sensor in the phone, the rumour that it will be placed under the home button and the rumour that the home button will "go capacitive."  


     


    I would rate their likelihood in that order as well. 


     


    - It's pretty much for certain that they will eventually add a fingerprint sensor.  


    - It's seems unlikely that they would put it under the home button.


    - There is little to no upside (and a lot of downside) to making the home button capacitive.

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  • Reply 34 of 89
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    slurpy wrote: »
    If the home button ceases to be a physical button, this will be the boldest move since the introduction of the iPhone. There's just something inherently satisfying, and confidence inducing, and actually having the button depress. I despise capacitive buttons. If Apple can figure out a way to give a decent amount of feedback while preventing accidental usage, then I agree, it would be an improvement. But the current button is definitely a major part of the iPhone's intuitiveness. 

    It's also the only truly iconic thing on the front of the iPhone.
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  • Reply 35 of 89
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ifij775 View Post



    That home button was an engineering disaster


     


    Not only offensive and stupid and based on nothing, this statement doesn't even make sense.  


     


    While the home button has looked the same on the surface, it's been completely re-engineered several times already.  You'd have to say which particular version you find faulty (and you might want to actually say why as well) before your comment even makes minimal sense.  

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  • Reply 36 of 89
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by ifij775 View Post

    That home button was an engineering disaster


     


    You're obviously not talking about the iPhone's, so you must be referring to anything on any Android device.


     


    I agree.





    Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post

    the home button should go away for the same reason that the keyboard needed to go. It is useless mod of the time.


     


    Even if that made sense, I'd disagree with you.


     



    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post

    It's also the only truly iconic thing on the front of the iPhone.


     


    What about all the icons? image

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  • Reply 37 of 89
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by hydr View Post


    It´s extremely secure. We are not talking about a "fingerprint" datapoint, we are talking about a biometric scanner that measures a whole set of data points including thickness of skin, blood pressure, print pattern, etc. It is very secure indeed.



     


    I mostly agree, but people always forget that fingerprinting as a method, is not 100% reliable because fingerprints are not actually unique.  It is rare for two people to have the same fingerprints and also be in the same town or committing the same crime so they work fairly well for police purposes.  They are not the infallible, unique identifiers that people think they are however. 

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  • Reply 38 of 89
    Marvinmarvin Posts: 15,519moderator
    solipsismx wrote: »
    Years ago Mythbusters did an episode on such security. Bypassing the fingerprint scanner, which the vendor said had never been bypassed, was easily bypassed. This super advanced sensors also measured if the finger was alive but licking the finger made of the user's fingerprint was enough to fool the device. I don't know more modern devices measure blood pressure but I bet they can be fooled by simulating the same pressure found in humans (it can't be the same as when the scan was input as this varies) or use whatever method it uses (e.g.: sound, radio, etc.) to mimic the same resistance as with blood within a certain range of pressure. There are just too many technologies that mimic human blood and tissue that I don't think any biometric will be hard to bypass. I bet that any biometric Apple adds will be bypassed in less time than it takes to jailbreak the next iOS version.

    They used an either an optical or capacitance fingerprint scanner that reads surface-level prints:


    [VIDEO]


    The Authentec technology Apple bought reads under the skin:

    http://www.fastcompany.com/1843949/apple-buys-fingerprint-sensor-maker-authentec-which-perfected-tech-hospitals-and-prisons

    It might be possible to recreate a rubber finger from a fingerprint that can fool that type of scanner but it shouldn't be as simple as the Mythbuster's tests. It doesn't really matter though because important authentication should be combined with a changeable key anyway. The scanner is just a convenient way to unlock the phone. If someone stole the phone, maybe they'd have the equipment to lift prints from the glass and then recreate a finger from it to then unlock the device but it's not likely and by the time they figure it out, the user could possibly do a remote wipe and if the theft was for the phone itself, it's not a big deal - the thief will just wipe the phone.

    Passcodes are going to be a thing of the past eventually:

    http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/11/paypal-chief-information-security-officer-passwords/

    Apple did a very smart thing buying Authentec.

    Concerning the sapphire crystal, it would be good if they could cover the whole front of the phone with it for durability and it would be seamless. One thing I don't like about the physical home button is the inconsistency with the feel. Some buttons are harder to press than others and broken ones make the phone or iPad pretty much unusable. There would have to be a difference in how it's pressed. Swipe left/right could be back/forward (to help with the back button placement), swipe down to go home, swipe up for multi-tasking. Tap-hold can also be home and double-tap can be Siri.

    As far as the user is concerned, it would behave much like the old button and have instant recognition to turn the device on but it gives them the option to scale down the area it uses up and there should be more room inside the phone as the button doesn't have to be pressed down.
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  • Reply 39 of 89
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Chandra69 View Post


     


    This may tell you did not use a single iPhone for a longer time. On longer runs, the Home Button causes problem - you end up pressing the home button very harder into the phone and you end up with no luck in seeing home screen. 



     


    This is stupid.  it's like you are purposely trying to create an Urban Legend or something.  


     


    I've had all the iPhones as well, and used them day in and day out.  I even have triple-click enabled on all my phones.  


    I've never had a Home button fail and I haven't run into many that have.  


     


    I work in tech and see dozens of iPhones and iPads daily for years now.  I help fix them for people and train them on the software.  


    I've run into maybe two or three folks that had trouble with the Home button in all that time.  


     


    There was really only a single version of the iPhone that even had *any* trouble with the button (the iPhone 4), and it was re-engineered shortly after fixing those problems.  

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  • Reply 40 of 89
    maccherrymaccherry Posts: 924member
    A bling home button? Who writes this crap?
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