“Firmware for the as-of-yet unreleased HomePod has provided a wealth of information on the speaker itself and the upcoming iPhone 8, thanks to developers like Steven Troughton-Smith who have spent time digging into the code,” Juli Clover reports for MacRumors.
“Troughton-Smith has seen no indication that there are features related to under-display Touch ID functionality in the iPhone 8, and he does not believe that such a feature will be included in the device,” Clover reports. “Current information suggests Apple may instead replace Touch ID with a new facial recognition system, and there are indeed several references to infrared face detection in the firmware.”
“According to Troughton-Smith and developer Jeffrey Grossman, there are references to new ‘split’ options for the visual provider system for UIStatusBar, suggesting status bar information like connection strength, battery, Bluetooth, and the time may be displayed on either side of the sensor/camera area,” Clover reports. “Rumors have suggested that while there will be no physical Home button, there could be an on-screen function area that houses a virtual Home button and other controls. Based on what Troughton-Smith says, this virtual area may be able to be hidden for things like full-screen apps and videos.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If there are status indicators on either side of that notch, Apple will have figure out what to do with them when the iPhone is in landscape mode. Also, that “function area” is a better bet than a mere “rumor” as none other than Ming-Chi Kuo stated flatly back in February that the “iPhone 8” would sport a 5.8-inch OLED display offering 5.15-inch of usable screen space with new “function area.” Ming-Chi Kuo also said last month that the OLED iPhone would lack Touch ID.
SEE ALSO:
Here are Apple’s HomePod UI sounds – August 1, 2017
Apple’s leaked code confirms facial expression detection and virtual Home button – August 1, 2017
Apple leaks iPhone 8 design – July 31, 2017
Apple’s HomePod will support VoiceOver, other accessibility features – July 28, 2017
Leaked recording: Inside Apple’s global war on leakers – June 20, 2017
Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple’s next-gen iPad Pros will be ‘revolutionary,’ offering radical design and user behavior changes – July 18, 2017
Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple’s iPhone 8 will offer highest screen-to-body ratio in industry; lacks Touch ID – July 3, 2017
Ming-Chi Kuo: 5.8-inch iPhone 8 to offer 5.15-inch usable screen space with new ‘function area’ – February 16, 2017
I hope the “function area” is not off limits to other uses else it will be just another artificial bezel on the bottom
If iPhone is going to sport some kind of “cursor”(also read “mouse” to enable reaching every corner of the screen, It would be great. 2 finger tapping for “reachability” is ridiculous.The word “reachability” sounds ridiculous too. Give us a trackpad, so that sliding a finger in tiny trackpad area will reach every corner of screen and icons. Come on Apple, you already did it in 3D touch keyboard. If I can have the Blackberry (!?) type tiny optical trackpad, I do not at all mind it sticking out of screen. No need to bury it under screen, if Apple cannot do it now. Those kinds of “innovations” are more useful than aesthetic enhancing feature like AMOLED. Screen is already excellent.
If the ‘function’ area has specialized sensors under the glass different from the rest of the display, I wouldn’t expect the area to change when in landscape mode. When you use the area in LS mode you’d just get the area visually ‘sliding in’ from the side instead of the bottom.
While I’m open to change, the lack of Touch ID would be a deal breaker for me unless the facial recognition alternative can be shown to be sufficiently robust and unobtrusive. For instance, IR to unlock the phone in low light without blinding the user. M
I wonder about security and perhaps some of you more savvy folks can explain:
– Apple makes a big deal out of their security being hard if not impossible to crack.
-So you as a traveler refuse to give your password making it hard/impossible to hack into your device: Can not the authorities (fer example) tie you to a chair then *force* your thumb on the touch ID area? And if that is true, would it not follow that holding the phone in front of your face will accomplish the same thing given this new technology?
Thanks for your thoughts 🙂
Sincerely,
Lawrence
No touch ID is a terrible idea. Someone can take your phone, point it at your face and unlock it?! Hmmm. Doesn’t seem like this is accurate. Sure hope not, or its Iphone 7SE for me.