Case manufacturer says Apple likely to ditch Touch ID in 'iPhone 8'

AppleInsider · August 18, 2017 10:37PM

Accessory maker Nodus believes Apple will abandon Touch ID fingerprint technology when it releases "iPhone 8," information the case maker gathered from supply chain sources as it worked on designs for the forthcoming handset.

Apple "iPhone 8" render. | Source: Nodus via Forbes

According to Forbes, Nodus is now confident enough in its sources to finalize case designs for Apple's next-generation smartphone. The case manufacturer provided the publication with a few renders showing "iPhone 8" saddled in their wares.

The overall design appears largely congruent with recent parts leaks and supposed insider information, featuring a nearly bezel-free full-face display with telltale sensor "notch."

Nodus' renders seemingly corroborate findings uncovered in Apple's inadvertent HomePod firmware leak. Specifically, "iPhone 8" software will include graphical assets like a split status bar to present the sensor "notch" as an integrated piece of the onscreen UI.

Nodus Access Case. | Source: Nodus via Forbes

Beyond affirming widely held beliefs regarding "iPhone 8" design, Forbes contributor Gordon Kelly and Nodus believe Apple is likely to do away with Touch ID in favor of more advanced biometric recognition technology. Apple is expected to debut a highly accurate facial recognition system based on depth-sensing camera equipment, functionality supported by code discovered in the recently leaked HomePod firmware.

Kelly in his report alludes to the potential inclusion of Touch ID in "iPhone 8's" sleep/wake button, which recent renders and leaks show to be greatly enlarged compared to current iPhone models. Sources claim Apple could enable Touch ID in the button via a software update, but such a solution "doesn't feel like the Apple way," he says.

Apple was rumored to integrate Touch ID, or a similar fingerprint recognition system, beneath the handset's OLED display, though the task has proven more difficult than expected. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, for example, initially anticipated Apple to buffer potential shortcomings in "FaceDetect" by requiring users to also authenticate with proven Touch ID hardware, but more recently said the company nixed plans for an embedded fingerprint reader.

isrs · August 18, 2017 10:57PM

I’d think that the case makers at this point would know if Touch ID was in the sleep/wake button. They wouldn’t want to cover it if it is.

And why in the world would Apple include the Touch ID hardware and not enable it?

edited August 2017

roake · August 18, 2017 10:57PM

No, Apple won't ditch Touch ID. There are any number of reasons for keeping Touch ID, even if the facial biometric scanning is *perfect*.

edited August 2017

rogifan_new · August 18, 2017 11:13PM

No Touch ID no iPhone 8 for me. I don’t want to unlock my phone with my face.

9secondkox2 · August 18, 2017 11:22PM

Case manufacturers don't have to design around Touch ID. So they have zero idea about its continued development and implementation.

eightzero · August 18, 2017 11:24PM

rogifan_new said:

No Touch ID no iPhone 8 for me. I don’t want to unlock my phone with my face.

Some interesting reports on other blogs about iOS11betas having a feature that disables touch ID if you cycle the home button 5 times. It is putatively the "cop block" feature.

How will such a thing work for face recognition? Seems to me face recognition is far less secure.

jumpcutter · August 18, 2017 11:35PM

Apple is really an unpredictable company. They introduce Touch ID with the iPhone line up and incorporate it with Apple Pay. Apple then introduces it with the Macbook Pro line up. Now they are going to eliminate it like the headphone jack was summarily eliminated in iPhone 7. Apple appears to have no apparent vision on what technology they want to use in their products. Why should anybody buy an Apple product? They have no consideration on how these changes will effect their customers. Apple keeps making lame excuses (such as room for the battery and/or waterproofing in the iPhone 7), always raising prices on these products. The customers have to absorb the cost of Apple's tech changes with things like dongles and bluetooth headphones. Apple claims they are future minded. Not so! They just do not have the midas touch anymore. I am really disappointed with Apple lack of innovation. They are just money hungry. This iPhone 8 will probably sell like hotcakes because of the following Apple seems to have. Apple is the piped piper and the customer are the rats. Sorry, that is how I see it.

macgui · August 19, 2017 12:33AM

I will miss TID IF Apple drops it. I don't think they will, but Apple is seemingly capricious at times. I do not like FID (Face ID). And those fearing police search and seizure should be concerned.

soli · August 19, 2017 12:57AM

eightzero said:

rogifan_new said:

No Touch ID no iPhone 8 for me. I don’t want to unlock my phone with my face.

Some interesting reports on other blogs about iOS11betas having a feature that disables touch ID if you cycle the home button 5 times. It is putatively the "cop block" feature.

How will such a thing work for face recognition? Seems to me face recognition is far less secure.

I won't speculate as to when and why Apple thinks it's the right time to drop Touch ID, but it seems obvious to me that the same 5-click lockout for disabling Touch ID in iOS 11 would be directly transferable to disabling "Face ID" until you re-input your passcode.

boltsfan17 · August 19, 2017 1:02AM

jumpcutter said:

Apple is really an unpredictable company. They introduce Touch ID with the iPhone line up and incorporate it with Apple Pay. Apple then introduces it with the Macbook Pro line up. Now they are going to eliminate it like the headphone jack was summarily eliminated in iPhone 7. Apple appears to have no apparent vision on what technology they want to use in their products. Why should anybody buy an Apple product? They have no consideration on how these changes will effect their customers. Apple keeps making lame excuses (such as room for the battery and/or waterproofing in the iPhone 7), always raising prices on these products. The customers have to absorb the cost of Apple's tech changes with things like dongles and bluetooth headphones. Apple claims they are future minded. Not so! They just do not have the midas touch anymore. I am really disappointed with Apple lack of innovation. They are just money hungry. This iPhone 8 will probably sell like hotcakes because of the following Apple seems to have. Apple is the piped piper and the customer are the rats. Sorry, that is how I see it.

How do you know Apple is eliminating Touch ID? The next iPhone hasn't even been released yet. As for the headphone jack being eliminated, Apple did provide a headphone jack adapter so your point is moot. How is making room for the battery a lame excuse? If you are using a larger battery like Apple is doing, you need more space. Apple raises prices of phones just like all the other manufacturers do. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is more expensive than the S7 for example.

soli · August 19, 2017 1:09AM

boltsfan17 said:

jumpcutter said:

Apple is really an unpredictable company. They introduce Touch ID with the iPhone line up and incorporate it with Apple Pay. Apple then introduces it with the Macbook Pro line up. Now they are going to eliminate it like the headphone jack was summarily eliminated in iPhone 7. Apple appears to have no apparent vision on what technology they want to use in their products. Why should anybody buy an Apple product? They have no consideration on how these changes will effect their customers. Apple keeps making lame excuses (such as room for the battery and/or waterproofing in the iPhone 7), always raising prices on these products. The customers have to absorb the cost of Apple's tech changes with things like dongles and bluetooth headphones. Apple claims they are future minded. Not so! They just do not have the midas touch anymore. I am really disappointed with Apple lack of innovation. They are just money hungry. This iPhone 8 will probably sell like hotcakes because of the following Apple seems to have. Apple is the piped piper and the customer are the rats. Sorry, that is how I see it.

How do you know Apple is eliminating Touch ID? The next iPhone hasn't even been released yet. As for the headphone jack being eliminated, Apple did provide a headphone jack adapter so your point is moot. How is making room for the battery a lame excuse? If you are using a larger battery like Apple is doing, you need more space. Apple raises prices of phones just like all the other manufacturers do. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is more expensive than the S7 for example.

Not only a 3.5mm audio jack adapter, but Lightning headphones, several years of 3rd-party Lightning headphones on the market, many more years of BT-enabled headphones which have dramatically increased their revenue and volume share compared to wired headphones in recent years, along with several pairs of headphones by Apple that use the W1-chip that makes pairing and switching BT headphones ridiculously simple that the move was not a step back for any normal. Sure, if you bought some $1000 Shures headphones you're probably gong to want to keep them for awhile but that's an atypical situation and an extra 3" on the headphone cord isn't likely to be a dealbreaker.

edited August 2017

greenmeenie · August 19, 2017 1:15AM

I don't think it's correct to say Apple is "eliminating" or "abandoning" Touch ID in the iPhone 8. It just seems Apple wasn't able to incorporate Touch ID under the OLED screen. That's all. They just ran into trouble, and ran out of time. The facial recognition tech was there, so they went with that. I would imagine once Apple works out the kinks, they'll put Touch ID back into the iPhone 8s next year. But if not having Touch ID is a deal breaker for you, you can always get the 7s this year. That will definitely have Touch ID still.

cornchip · August 19, 2017 1:23AM

Hard to believe Apple would do this, but it's certainly possible.

Even easier for for authorities to unlock your phone without your concent if they have you in custody...

Perhaps they'll incorporate it into wake sleep button. Did we to see a rumor about that recently. Or is that my imagination?

greenmeenie · August 19, 2017 1:25AM

I don't think it's correct to say Apple is "eliminating" or "abandoning" Touch ID in the iPhone 8. It just seems Apple wasn't able to incorporate Touch ID under the OLED screen. That's all. They just ran into trouble, and ran out of time. The facial recognition tech was there, so they went with that. I would imagine once Apple works out the kinks, they'll put Touch ID back into the iPhone 8s next year. But if not having Touch ID is a deal breaker for you, you can always get the 7s this year. That will definitely have Touch ID still.

boltsfan17 · August 19, 2017 1:27AM

Soli said:

boltsfan17 said:

jumpcutter said:

Apple is really an unpredictable company. They introduce Touch ID with the iPhone line up and incorporate it with Apple Pay. Apple then introduces it with the Macbook Pro line up. Now they are going to eliminate it like the headphone jack was summarily eliminated in iPhone 7. Apple appears to have no apparent vision on what technology they want to use in their products. Why should anybody buy an Apple product? They have no consideration on how these changes will effect their customers. Apple keeps making lame excuses (such as room for the battery and/or waterproofing in the iPhone 7), always raising prices on these products. The customers have to absorb the cost of Apple's tech changes with things like dongles and bluetooth headphones. Apple claims they are future minded. Not so! They just do not have the midas touch anymore. I am really disappointed with Apple lack of innovation. They are just money hungry. This iPhone 8 will probably sell like hotcakes because of the following Apple seems to have. Apple is the piped piper and the customer are the rats. Sorry, that is how I see it.

How do you know Apple is eliminating Touch ID? The next iPhone hasn't even been released yet. As for the headphone jack being eliminated, Apple did provide a headphone jack adapter so your point is moot. How is making room for the battery a lame excuse? If you are using a larger battery like Apple is doing, you need more space. Apple raises prices of phones just like all the other manufacturers do. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is more expensive than the S7 for example.

Not only a 3.5mm audio jack adapter, but Lightning headphones, several years of 3rd-party Lightning headphones on the market, many more years of BT-enabled headphones which have dramatically increased their evenue and volume share compared to wired headphones, along with several pairs of headphones by Apple that use the W1-chip that makes pairing and switching BT headphones ridiculously simple that the move was not a step back for any normal. Sure, if you bought some $1000 Shures headphones you're probably gong to want to keep them for awhile but that's an atypical situation and an extra 3" on the headphone cord isn't likely to be a dealbreaker.

If I'm not mistaken, bluetooth headphones outsold wired headphones last year for the first time ever. I imagine the gap of bluetooth vs wired headphone sales will continue to get much wider. I still use wired headphones, but having to use an adapter ever since I bought the iPhone 7 is really a non issue. The reality is the iPhone is compatible with the best of all worlds: Bluetooth, lightning, and 3.5mm.

cornchip · August 19, 2017 1:35AM

Soli said:

boltsfan17 said:

jumpcutter said:

Apple is really an unpredictable company. They introduce Touch ID with the iPhone line up and incorporate it with Apple Pay. Apple then introduces it with the Macbook Pro line up. Now they are going to eliminate it like the headphone jack was summarily eliminated in iPhone 7. Apple appears to have no apparent vision on what technology they want to use in their products. Why should anybody buy an Apple product? They have no consideration on how these changes will effect their customers. Apple keeps making lame excuses (such as room for the battery and/or waterproofing in the iPhone 7), always raising prices on these products. The customers have to absorb the cost of Apple's tech changes with things like dongles and bluetooth headphones. Apple claims they are future minded. Not so! They just do not have the midas touch anymore. I am really disappointed with Apple lack of innovation. They are just money hungry. This iPhone 8 will probably sell like hotcakes because of the following Apple seems to have. Apple is the piped piper and the customer are the rats. Sorry, that is how I see it.

How do you know Apple is eliminating Touch ID? The next iPhone hasn't even been released yet. As for the headphone jack being eliminated, Apple did provide a headphone jack adapter so your point is moot. How is making room for the battery a lame excuse? If you are using a larger battery like Apple is doing, you need more space. Apple raises prices of phones just like all the other manufacturers do. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is more expensive than the S7 for example.

Not only a 3.5mm audio jack adapter, but Lightning headphones, several years of 3rd-party Lightning headphones on the market, many more years of BT-enabled headphones which have dramatically increased their revenue and volume share compared to wired headphones in recent years, along with several pairs of headphones by Apple that use the W1-chip that makes pairing and switching BT headphones ridiculously simple that the move was not a step back for any normal. Sure, if you bought some $1000 Shures headphones you're probably gong to want to keep them for awhile but that's an atypical situation and an extra 3" on the headphone cord isn't likely to be a dealbreaker.

You know what kills me the most about the crying about the removing of the headphone jack?

Im trying to imagine a scenario where you're both charging your phone, and wanting to listen to the music on your phone.

Where are you most likely to be? In front of your Mac.

If your iPhone is charging just plug your headphones into your Mac and listen to your library through iTunes where most have their entire library stored anyway. Of course that's increasingly irrelevant now that everyone is transitioning to streaming (so it would seem). Or if you don't want to be away from your phone play on Mac speakers! I mean shit!

edited August 2017

soli · August 19, 2017 1:36AM

boltsfan17 said:

Soli said:

boltsfan17 said:

jumpcutter said:

Apple is really an unpredictable company. They introduce Touch ID with the iPhone line up and incorporate it with Apple Pay. Apple then introduces it with the Macbook Pro line up. Now they are going to eliminate it like the headphone jack was summarily eliminated in iPhone 7. Apple appears to have no apparent vision on what technology they want to use in their products. Why should anybody buy an Apple product? They have no consideration on how these changes will effect their customers. Apple keeps making lame excuses (such as room for the battery and/or waterproofing in the iPhone 7), always raising prices on these products. The customers have to absorb the cost of Apple's tech changes with things like dongles and bluetooth headphones. Apple claims they are future minded. Not so! They just do not have the midas touch anymore. I am really disappointed with Apple lack of innovation. They are just money hungry. This iPhone 8 will probably sell like hotcakes because of the following Apple seems to have. Apple is the piped piper and the customer are the rats. Sorry, that is how I see it.

How do you know Apple is eliminating Touch ID? The next iPhone hasn't even been released yet. As for the headphone jack being eliminated, Apple did provide a headphone jack adapter so your point is moot. How is making room for the battery a lame excuse? If you are using a larger battery like Apple is doing, you need more space. Apple raises prices of phones just like all the other manufacturers do. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is more expensive than the S7 for example.

Not only a 3.5mm audio jack adapter, but Lightning headphones, several years of 3rd-party Lightning headphones on the market, many more years of BT-enabled headphones which have dramatically increased their evenue and volume share compared to wired headphones, along with several pairs of headphones by Apple that use the W1-chip that makes pairing and switching BT headphones ridiculously simple that the move was not a step back for any normal. Sure, if you bought some $1000 Shures headphones you're probably gong to want to keep them for awhile but that's an atypical situation and an extra 3" on the headphone cord isn't likely to be a dealbreaker.

If I'm not mistaken, bluetooth headphones outsold wired headphones last year for the first time ever. I imagine the gap of bluetooth vs wired headphone sales will continue to get much wider. I still use wired headphones, but having to use an adapter ever since I bought the iPhone 7 is really a non issue. The reality is the iPhone is compatible with the best of all worlds: Bluetooth, lightning, and 3.5mm.

Over 50%, but in terms of revenue. Likely profits were even higher, but I think still only about a quarter of the unit sales. Still, it's significant to show a trend and that was before Aplpe's W1-chip and AirPods announcement.

edit: "Bluetooth wireless headphones accounted for 54-percent of headphone dollar sales during the month of June [2016], and 17-percent of unit sales," in January 2017 "Before last month, Apple’s Beats headphones had about 25% of the wireless market followed by Bose at 10.5%. Slice Intelligence’s new report also shows that AirPods have become the clear leader in wireless headphones for now at 26%," and "Apple’s AirPods and wireless Beats take 40% of all recent Bluetooth headphone sales."

edited August 2017

soli · August 19, 2017 1:41AM

cornchip said:

Soli said:

boltsfan17 said:

jumpcutter said:

Apple is really an unpredictable company. They introduce Touch ID with the iPhone line up and incorporate it with Apple Pay. Apple then introduces it with the Macbook Pro line up. Now they are going to eliminate it like the headphone jack was summarily eliminated in iPhone 7. Apple appears to have no apparent vision on what technology they want to use in their products. Why should anybody buy an Apple product? They have no consideration on how these changes will effect their customers. Apple keeps making lame excuses (such as room for the battery and/or waterproofing in the iPhone 7), always raising prices on these products. The customers have to absorb the cost of Apple's tech changes with things like dongles and bluetooth headphones. Apple claims they are future minded. Not so! They just do not have the midas touch anymore. I am really disappointed with Apple lack of innovation. They are just money hungry. This iPhone 8 will probably sell like hotcakes because of the following Apple seems to have. Apple is the piped piper and the customer are the rats. Sorry, that is how I see it.

How do you know Apple is eliminating Touch ID? The next iPhone hasn't even been released yet. As for the headphone jack being eliminated, Apple did provide a headphone jack adapter so your point is moot. How is making room for the battery a lame excuse? If you are using a larger battery like Apple is doing, you need more space. Apple raises prices of phones just like all the other manufacturers do. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is more expensive than the S7 for example.

Not only a 3.5mm audio jack adapter, but Lightning headphones, several years of 3rd-party Lightning headphones on the market, many more years of BT-enabled headphones which have dramatically increased their revenue and volume share compared to wired headphones in recent years, along with several pairs of headphones by Apple that use the W1-chip that makes pairing and switching BT headphones ridiculously simple that the move was not a step back for any normal. Sure, if you bought some $1000 Shures headphones you're probably gong to want to keep them for awhile but that's an atypical situation and an extra 3" on the headphone cord isn't likely to be a dealbreaker.

You know what kills me the most about the crying about the removing of the headphone jack?

Im trying to imagine a scenario where you're both charging your phone, and wanting to listen to the music on your phone.

Where are you most likely to be? In front of your Mac. If your iPhone is charging just plug your headphones into your Mac and listen to your library through iTunes. Or if you don't want to be away from your phone play on Mac speakers! I mean shit!

The best example might be wanting to be "hands free" with the speaker in one ear for calls whilst driving or perhaps in both if you have a really bad or non existent audio system in your car -and- you want to charge it. But that's not really Apple's base and I have to wonder who wouldn't have a radio in their car but also have an iPhone 7 series? Someone who likes to drive some classic car that is horrified when people put anything modern in it? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It doesn't seem like something any tech company should make their primary focus.

bluefire1 · August 19, 2017 1:45AM

I don't care if they keep or remove Touch ID. I want the iPhone 8/Pro/Edition. Period.

jumpcutter · August 19, 2017 1:48AM

boltsfan17 said:

jumpcutter said:

Apple is really an unpredictable company. They introduce Touch ID with the iPhone line up and incorporate it with Apple Pay. Apple then introduces it with the Macbook Pro line up. Now they are going to eliminate it like the headphone jack was summarily eliminated in iPhone 7. Apple appears to have no apparent vision on what technology they want to use in their products. Why should anybody buy an Apple product? They have no consideration on how these changes will effect their customers. Apple keeps making lame excuses (such as room for the battery and/or waterproofing in the iPhone 7), always raising prices on these products. The customers have to absorb the cost of Apple's tech changes with things like dongles and bluetooth headphones. Apple claims they are future minded. Not so! They just do not have the midas touch anymore. I am really disappointed with Apple lack of innovation. They are just money hungry. This iPhone 8 will probably sell like hotcakes because of the following Apple seems to have. Apple is the piped piper and the customer are the rats. Sorry, that is how I see it.

How do you know Apple is eliminating Touch ID? The next iPhone hasn't even been released yet. As for the headphone jack being eliminated, Apple did provide a headphone jack adapter so your point is moot. How is making room for the battery a lame excuse? If you are using a larger battery like Apple is doing, you need more sy the pace. Apple raises prices of phones just like all the other manufacturers do. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is more expensive than the S7 for example.

Yes Apple did provide a headphone jack adapter but you can not charge and play your music at the same time. My point is not moot. And as for the battery being larger, Apple never made the battery larger. The phones were never in the $700 to $800 range until Apple got into the smartphone market. So all the other manufacturers followed Apple's lead. My complaint wasn't just about the price but how Apple just makes changes to their products without concern of the effect it has on the customer's budget. I have an iPhone 6 which is the worst phone I have ever purchased. The screen has a sensitivity issue which Apple has not fixed or even acknowledged. Constantly having reception problems and I am with Verizon. When I call Apple about the iPhone issues all they did was reset the phone which did not fix a thing. So why constantly change the technology of the phone without correcting the current problems of screen sensitivity and reception. Money is the answer.

strangedays · August 19, 2017 2:35AM

rogifan_new said:

No Touch ID no iPhone 8 for me. I don’t want to unlock my phone with my face.

Sounds like irrational nonsense based on a lack of data, to me.

Were you one of those same people panicked about touch id when it was announced?

Case manufacturer says Apple likely to ditch Touch ID in 'iPhone 8'

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