Apple emphasizes again that Touch ID for iPhone X was never an option, company all-in on F...
Apple has once again reiterated that, despite rumors to the contrary, the company did not intend to have a Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded in the display of the iPhone X, and that Face ID was developed to be a full, permanent Touch ID replacement.
Dan Riccio, senior vice president of hardware engineering with Apple, was asked by TechCrunch about rumors that persisted throughout 2017 about Touch ID being embedded in the iPhone X display. They were all bogus, he said.
"I heard some rumor [that] we couldn't get Touch ID to work through the glass so we had to remove that," Riccio said. "When we hit early line of sight on getting Face ID to be [as] good as it was, we knew that if we could be successful we could enable the product that we wanted to go off and do. And if that's true, it could be something that we could burn the bridges and be all-in with. This was assuming it was a better solution.
"And that's what we did. So we spent no time looking at fingerprints on the back or through the glass or on the side, because if we did those things -- which would be a last-minute change -- they would be a distraction relative to enabling the more important thing that we were trying to achieve -- which was Face ID done in a high-quality way."
Apple's Face ID technology introduced in the iPhone X is made up of four components including an infrared camera, a flood illuminator, a dot projector, and the front camera. The combination of sensors generates a 3D map of the face that it compares to the mathematical models of the stored face, utilizing the new A11 Bionic neural engine.
AppleInsider's own tests with the iPhone X Face ID have found that it is a near-immediate and reliable way of securely unlocking the handset.
Up until this summer, reports suggested Apple might offer some combination of Face ID facial recognition and Touch ID fingerprint scanning. But Apple has repeatedly said since announcing the iPhone X that Touch ID was never a consideration so late in the development of the device.
The latest rumors have gone in the opposite direction. Now, it is said that Apple is planning to implement Face ID in all new iPhones scheduled to arrive in late 2018, expediting the retirement of Touch ID.
Dan Riccio, senior vice president of hardware engineering with Apple, was asked by TechCrunch about rumors that persisted throughout 2017 about Touch ID being embedded in the iPhone X display. They were all bogus, he said.
"I heard some rumor [that] we couldn't get Touch ID to work through the glass so we had to remove that," Riccio said. "When we hit early line of sight on getting Face ID to be [as] good as it was, we knew that if we could be successful we could enable the product that we wanted to go off and do. And if that's true, it could be something that we could burn the bridges and be all-in with. This was assuming it was a better solution.
"And that's what we did. So we spent no time looking at fingerprints on the back or through the glass or on the side, because if we did those things -- which would be a last-minute change -- they would be a distraction relative to enabling the more important thing that we were trying to achieve -- which was Face ID done in a high-quality way."
Apple's Face ID technology introduced in the iPhone X is made up of four components including an infrared camera, a flood illuminator, a dot projector, and the front camera. The combination of sensors generates a 3D map of the face that it compares to the mathematical models of the stored face, utilizing the new A11 Bionic neural engine.
AppleInsider's own tests with the iPhone X Face ID have found that it is a near-immediate and reliable way of securely unlocking the handset.
Up until this summer, reports suggested Apple might offer some combination of Face ID facial recognition and Touch ID fingerprint scanning. But Apple has repeatedly said since announcing the iPhone X that Touch ID was never a consideration so late in the development of the device.
The latest rumors have gone in the opposite direction. Now, it is said that Apple is planning to implement Face ID in all new iPhones scheduled to arrive in late 2018, expediting the retirement of Touch ID.
Comments
So, you'd rather believe a consensus of babble from a list of babblers over simply looking for yourself at the fact that Face ID is fundamentally better than Touch ID.
Amazing.
I think Apple is telling the truth that they weren't for this first, but that doesn't mean that it's the best solution for everyone
What will be interesting to see is if Apple goes all out with the A11 chip for the SE, or if they stick with an A10. Don't forget that when the first SE came out, it boasted the same flagship CPU and rear camera as the iPhone 6s, making it faster and better than the (more expensive) iPhone 6. That enabled Apple to keep the SE unchanged for a couple of years, aside from a capacity bump earlier this year.
My guess: We'll get an iPhone SE with A10 CPU and 3D Touch display. And Touch ID, naturally. And I'm guessing it'll keep the headphone jack.
I’m not saying they are being dishonest. But it’s pretty clear they are reading from a script. Scripted corporate messaging isn’t always dishonest. It always means they need/want a certain narrative to take hold.
Looks like it’s working.
as for it being “fundamentally better” I’m sorry but that’s just trying to restate their marketing material. It’s does seem better in many use cases but certainly not all. Using it without Apple Pay is one area where it is undeniably less smooth and fluid. And Apple pay is a critical area for authentication.
I don’t doubt that Apple execs are using the same talking point tho, which is why you see it. There’s no ulterior motive tho, other than the fact that prepared talking points are harder to screw up when talking off the cuff during interviews. That’s why it’s done.
But how would you use the phone without looking at it? Since you have to look at it anyway, the issue seems rather moot.
And given Apple’s slowness in withdrawing old models, we can consider fairly three iterations more for Touch ID models, but that will depend mostly on the impact made by Face ID model(s). Once the plus size X model is released it may be time to think about withdrawing the old models but even in that case, Apple may act slowly.
Gruber may not be paid but it’s silly to try to pretend he’s not a mouthpiece for Apple. He’s clearly reading from the same “prepared talking points”, even using the same idioms. The difference is that he read the script first and now Apple execs are casually trying insert the same phrasing into their pieces. Remaining “independent” is far more lucrative for Gruber.
As for the SE: i am a nut for mine. Okay. Had to say that lol. As for it's future, I think Apple will have a harder time figuring out what to put in it than it did making Animoji work correctly. Jk. Sort of, haha. Seriously, though, I think Apple must put the A11 Bionic into it. They want this AR to be one of their next major pushes towards innovation, so a kick-butt chip is número uno.
As for 3D touch, I agree likely it will have, but now the price is going up for them and my super computer probability analytical models are stressing to predict what else will be inside!
A11, HD Retina, better ISP for camera, and that's all I can say for sure
A11 10000%!!!
thanks, it was a pleasure!
all in sounds about right.
2) You haven’t used it for AP, but reviewers who have say it’s smoother to use...double press the side button to trigger (as on watch), authenticate with a look, wave over reader. Since you’d be looking at the touch ID equipped phone too, looking at the X isn’t more effort.