Apple VP of Product Marketing Bob Borchers and VP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus are featured in the latest episode of iJustine and Jenna Ezarik’s Same Brain podcast where they discuss iPads, including the all-new iPad Air and it’s next-generation Touch ID.
Speaking on the new iPad Air, Borchers says that implementing the Touch ID sensor into the top button in a much smaller form factor was “an incredible feat of engineering.” Ternus explains that the narrow aspect ratio of the sensor made it quite challenging to implement. The sensor needed to be “incredibly sensitive” and would have to capture a broader view of the fingerprint in the initial enrollment process and over time…
Ternus notes that the top portion of the enclosure is simply the antenna, and much work was conducted to ensure that the Touch ID sensor and antenna didn’t interfere with one another since both are highly sensitive instruments. He adds that much “hardcore silicon and engineering” went into ensuring that the sensor could deliver the same level of security offered by its previous iteration.
MacDailyNews Take: The next generation Touch ID integrated into the iPad Air’s top button is extremely simple, very quick, and secure. Job well done, Apple!