iPhone 5S Home Button Fingerprint Sensor [Rumor]

This iPhone 5s rumor comes as no surprise seeing as Apple bought security firm AuthenTec who just happens to specialise in fingerprint recognition Now finally rumors are circulating that the new iPhone may include some sort of biometric security built into the home button. The problem with this idea is that unless it’s as fast as a swipe or a button it’s pointless.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities foresees Cupertino finding a way of implementing some description of fingerprint sensor into the home button. Obviously being an Analyst he’ll have no clue as to the real world as other analysts try so many times to do and fail miserably.

Kuo seems to be under the impression that the fingerprint sensor will be situated below the iPhone’s home button. He also believes that the fingerprint scanner will house the ability to integrate with iOS applications such as Passbook, in order to heighten both security and functionality.

The traditional problem with fingerprint scanning is the time it takes to scan a finger. Back in the IBM think pad laptop world for a while finger scanners were built in and as nice as a gadget way to login to your computer was fraught with problems. If your finger was messy, sweaty, grimy, too cold, too hot or anything else you could be there swiping time after time to login.

Other fingerprint scanners rely on taking 3 good clear scans of your finger before letting you in. Granted this takes a few moments and perhaps less than a second but in a world of milliseconds it’s way too long on a portable device.

That’s not to say Apple hasn’t “cracked” biometrics yet the question remains, would it be any better than a button?

Where it would best be suited to is a one touch password system. Imagine any purchase for itunes, instead of a password, you simply place your finger. That would stop payment card missue. Perhaps scanning different fingers would bring up different options. Imagine being in your car and wanting to play music, it’ll be a lot easier to just hold the phone in such a way a finger launches a different app.

Granted none of these are compelling ideas but like all Apple innovations, everything starts simply and builds up from there.

In the no shit sherlock section of the article we see this precious prediction

“The analyst has also predicted that the iPad mini will gain a Retina display in 2013, while the full-size iPad will sport a lighter and thinner design with a smaller bezel. He also expects new Retina MacBook Pros with cheaper prices, the discontinuation of the legacy MacBook Pros, and a refresh to the Apple TV set-top box — but no full-fledged television set this year”

Sheesh….

Source (Apple Insider) Who didn’t bother to link to the original article