“As the technology world buzzes with speculation that the next iPhone will have a fingerprint reader, makers of biometric security devices are bracing for a race among smartphone makers to adopt the technology,” Marie Mawad and Adam Ewing report for Bloomberg News.
“Apple Inc. will unveil a new iPhone next month, according to a person familiar with the plans,” Mawad and Ewing report. “ABI Research and KGI Securities Co. are among the industry watchers that say the device will include a fingerprint reader, a prediction bolstered by Apple’s $350 million purchase of fingerprint- sensor maker AuthenTec Inc. last year. ‘Apple is giving a strong indication that market leaders see biometrics as part of their roadmap,’ said Thomas Marschall, chief executive officer of Precise Biometrics AB, a maker of authentication equipment such as fingerprint sensors in Lund, Sweden. ‘All competitors are looking for alternatives to match Apple — it’s the kickoff of a rally in the industry.'”
Mawad and Ewing report, “An Apple embrace of fingerprint sensors could give the technology a lift, much like the boost touch screens got after the iPhone’s introduction in 2007. Device makers started paying attention to biometrics, which can replace passwords and signatures, after the AuthenTec acquisition, Marschall said.”
MacDailyNews Take: Device makers not named Apple are late as always.
Mawad and Ewing report, “A fingerprint sensor would provide iPhone users a simpler way to access files via the Internet and make mobile purchases, strengthening Apple in its battle with devices using Google Inc.’s Android operating system, according to Kuo Mingchi, a KGI analyst in Taipei who covers Apple suppliers. An iPhone with the technology would provide ‘fresh momentum’ for fingerprint-sensor suppliers, the analyst said in an Aug. 12 note.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple leads. The rest follow. As usual.
The possibility of a fingerprint sensor is already being promoted as an anti-Apple talking point in some areas. The suggestion is that your fingerprints will be transmitted to the NSA database without your knowledge or consent.
I hope that Apple’s implementation of fingerprint identification is such that a user’s fingerprint data is stored solely within the device and is never passed on to an Apple server, otherwise it will be hard to counter the claim that it could be subverted as another tool in the NSA arsenal.
Moronic. Assume this is true – what good is 1 fingerprint? I recall my fingerprint(s?) being scanned at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) when to get my drivers license. This would be a much more reliable source of fingerprints as your identity is verified.
So many Fandroids think that a fingerprint sensor is stupid and that Apple is just desperate to try anything to keep up with Android smartphones. They say it’s better to have a large display than a nearly useless fingerprint sensor. They see it as a waste just to replace a password. I guess they believe using gestures is just as good. The Fandroids are already considering the iPhone’s fingerprint reader a failure before its even introduced.
I believe one of the Motorola smartphones a couple of years back had a fingerprint sensor but it was claimed there were problems with it not reading properly and eventually support was dropped. It was pretty much a failure. I’m almost certain if the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone is successful, nearly every Android smartphone vendor will want to put a fingerprint sensor on their smartphones. These people just want to copy what Apple does so badly and it does make some sort of business sense to do so. I can only hope that whatever Apple is using will be difficult to duplicate cheaply, at least for a while.
I’d seen quite a few laptops that had fingerprint readers and I’d never heard anyone make like it was some great breakthrough. I assumed they worked well enough for that simple purpose and that was that. I didn’t think it was a gimmick and thought it would be useful to use in place of a password.
A fingerprint sensor might not exactly be considered innovation by Apple, but one that works well enough for constant everyday use could be considered an advancement of sorts. I’m certain it’s something that won’t excite the tech industry to any degree and will be laughed off as one of Apple’s failed attempts at innovation.
Apple takes existing technology, simplifies it, perfects it, makes it mainstream. I think it’s pretty clear that this is what they’ll do with fingerprint tech. Of course the media will say it’s not the first device with fingerprint scanners but the iPod wasn’t the first media player, apps have been around for ages, etc etc.
Fingerprint technology would be a great theft deterrent for the iPhones. Once it is set it up with a owner’s fingerprint, it would be worthless to a thief. Unless of course, they cut off your finger as well during the robbery!
From what I’ve read, the big difference in Apple’s fingerprint scanner is that it must be a LIVE finger before it will read it, i.e., “…sensors are based on both capacitive and radio frequency (RF) technology that detects an image of the fingerprint ridge and valley pattern beneath the surface of the skin, thus capturing sharp and clear fingerprint patterns from the live layer.” Note “live layer” and “beneath…skin”.
Wingsy- since you are following up on AmEagle’s comment, it’s only snarky of me to point out that if you are stealing someone’s phone because the net information could make you a billionaire (Larry Ellison’s iphone), or the info would save the world from destruction (Bond, 007), then a short time in the O.R. for a surgical attachment could solve the issue you call “live” tissue.
MDN’s second take is spot-on.
And, if they just acquired the tech. then you can, um, go to the bank on the fact that it won’t be in the very next iPhone. Can we please get somebody who actually has a little tech savvy to analyze AAPL please. Sheeesh. It’s still the first grade on WS.
And with AuthenTec’s technogy and great patents they sure will be able to defend against Goosung that will copy, rest assured.