More pictures of Apple's custom badge reader for Apple Park pop up in FCC filing

Posted:
in General Discussion
The general appearance for a door access system intended for use in Apple-controlled facilities has been revealed in a filing with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, with the custom badge reader shown to have striking and sleek design befitting the Apple Park corporate campus.




The latest FCC filing update reveals the device to have a large square glass panel on the front, measuring approximately 4.5 inches square and with rounded corners, with a white ring highlighted in the middle of the grey surface used as an indicator light. On the back of the glass plate is a smaller housing, with a set of four wires feeding out of a small hole, allowing it to be hooked up to a building's door entry and security systems.

According to a manual found by Business Insider, the reader "will indicate granted access by briefly changing color to green and playing a sound." Attempts using unauthorized credentials will instead illuminate the ring with red light, with the reader playing a second sound to notify of failed access.

The reader has the model number A1846, which is similar to another Apple-submitted wireless device submitted to the FCC previously. The "A1844" was revealed in March to be a door access system, using a similar color and sound indication system, though unlike the glass plate of the A1846 model, photographs showed this earlier model to be part of a larger door assembly, suggesting Apple has created multiple versions of the system to be used for different doorways.

The earlier A1844 unit supports both NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy communication. While it is said the A1846 model supports NFC, the report does not mention if it will also include Bluetooth LE support, though this is likely.




A third model, the A1845, has yet to be revealed in photographs, but probably shares the same functionality as the other two models.

It is highly probable the door access hardware will be employed in the buildings within Apple Park, the company's latest Cupertino-based corporate campus. A high level of attention to detail has been used for the construction project, and while Apple could have acquired door access systems already available on the market, the executives instead chose to create their own hardware that matches the design aesthetic of the campus, as well as of Apple's own products.

Initial reporting for the devices suggested there to be some sort of connection to the fourth-generation Apple TV, with diagrams used in filings seeming to use similar screw placement and case design elements to Apple's set-top box. While uncertain, these reports did indicate the hardware was not likely to be an Apple TV-like device due to differing power requirements.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
    These guys.
  • Reply 2 of 18
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,100member
    So they're not going with a pattern of knocks on the door?
    SolicornchipGeorgeBMacmelodyof1974
  • Reply 3 of 18
    dcgoodcgoo Posts: 280member
    tyler82 said:
    So they're not going with a pattern of knocks on the door?
    Yes. That is the second factor.
  • Reply 4 of 18
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    All three comments made me laugh.

    But I'd really be interested in the design of the badges more than the readers.
  • Reply 5 of 18
    smiffy31smiffy31 Posts: 202member
    macgui said:
    All three comments made me laugh.

    But I'd really be interested in the design of the badges more than the readers.
    I think that with the listed technologies the "badges" will be iPhones or Apple watches, that way they get finger/face authentication at the same time.  Anyone can steal/lose a badge but using the apple pay security makes that harder.

    StrangeDayscornchipwatto_cobrabaconstangGeorgeBMacpte applejony0badmonk
  • Reply 6 of 18
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,462member
    The shape resembles that of an iOS app icon
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 18
    DoctorQDoctorQ Posts: 50member
    Future HomeKit lock?
    JinTechwatto_cobralollivermelodyof1974
  • Reply 8 of 18
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,020member
    DoctorQ said:
    Future HomeKit lock?
    Very possible. Steve Jobs did publicly "beta test" the presentation app Keynote for a long time before they launched it to the public.
    cornchipwatto_cobralolliver
  • Reply 9 of 18
    Eww...such a large bezel around the lighted ring! I bet the Sammy version will push the ring out to the edges--no past the edges so that it wraps around to the sides. Now that's modern, elegant design.
     ;) 
    anomewatto_cobrabaconstang[Deleted User]
  • Reply 10 of 18
    anomeanome Posts: 1,533member
    dcgoo said:
    tyler82 said:
    So they're not going with a pattern of knocks on the door?
    Yes. That is the second factor.

    The third factor is you have to juggle three balls, do a tap dance, and sing the Catalina Magdalena Lupensteiner Wallabeiner song.
  • Reply 11 of 18
    tyler82 said:
    So they're not going with a pattern of knocks on the door?

    They want to make sure Eddy Cue can still get in. He gets lost with pattern greetings...
  • Reply 12 of 18
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    smiffy31 said:
    macgui said:
    All three comments made me laugh.

    But I'd really be interested in the design of the badges more than the readers.
    I think that with the listed technologies the "badges" will be iPhones or Apple watches, that way they get finger/face authentication at the same time.  Anyone can steal/lose a badge but using the apple pay security makes that harder.

    Yeh, it's hard for me to believe Apple would drop their primary products and go with an old fashioned ID card...   The future is not with keys and cards...
  • Reply 13 of 18
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    smiffy31 said:
    macgui said:
    All three comments made me laugh.

    But I'd really be interested in the design of the badges more than the readers.
    I think that with the listed technologies the "badges" will be iPhones or Apple watches, that way they get finger/face authentication at the same time.  Anyone can steal/lose a badge but using the apple pay security makes that harder.

    Makes sense. Any good Apple employee or contractor would have an iPhone and maybe a Watch. Or an RFID implant.
  • Reply 14 of 18
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member

    The shape resembles that of an iOS app icon
    So does the Apple TV, Mac mini, Airport Extreme Base Station, and AirPort Express. There was a theme there...
  • Reply 15 of 18
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member

    Yeh, it's hard for me to believe Apple would drop their primary products and go with an old fashioned ID card...   The future is not with keys and cards...
    Except that ID badges make one readily identifiable to another person who is not an electronic card reader. I find it hard to believe that Apple would have all of it's employees moving about with no way to readily see who they are. That's a separate requirement from accessing a facility or location.
  • Reply 16 of 18
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    DoctorQ said:
    Future HomeKit lock?
    I'd LOVE for Apple to make their own HK lock. As of the moment, I don't think HK allows any compatible lock to auto-unlock (or maybe even lock, I dunno).  Instead you have to use your phone. Auto-unlock is the only reason I'd be an HK lock.
  • Reply 17 of 18
    I think that thing is the new Mac Mini, not any card reader. /s
  • Reply 18 of 18
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    macgui said:

    Yeh, it's hard for me to believe Apple would drop their primary products and go with an old fashioned ID card...   The future is not with keys and cards...
    Except that ID badges make one readily identifiable to another person who is not an electronic card reader. I find it hard to believe that Apple would have all of it's employees moving about with no way to readily see who they are. That's a separate requirement from accessing a facility or location.
    Having employees walk around with billboards hanging from their necks or forced to wear a uniform always struck me as low class.   There is some reason for it when the worker is dealing with the public (such as health care or police or an Apple Store) but otherwise, in a closed, private environment -- no class.   It promotes thinking of oneself as a blue collar robot rather than a professional.
Sign In or Register to comment.