Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro refresh won’t just bring a fancy OLED touchbar for customizable function keys, but also the first Touch ID sensor on a Mac, according to a new report. And it will be built into the notebook’s power button.
Reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first promised us a big MacBook Pro redesign back in May. His sources claimed the machine would have an OLED touchbar that sits above its keyboard, and built-in Touch ID.
Cult of Mac has since obtained photos that all but confirm that there’s a place for that touchbar, and now a reliable source for 9to5Mac says that there’s a place for Touch ID, too — and it’s within the power button.
“Incorporating it into the power button would clearly make sense, allowing the same one-touch process to power-on and authenticate as is possible with the Home button on current iPhones,” the report adds.
Apple is expected to make the new MacBook Pro official during the fourth quarter. It is also expected to bring USB-C connectivity like the smaller 12-inch MacBook, with embedded support for Thunderbolt 3. We can also expect Intel’s latest processors.
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
7 responses to “New MacBook Pro may pack Touch ID power button”
Would be great to have finally touch id on the Mac, but lets hope its not placed on the power button, to avoid shutting down your computer when you actually wanted to authenticate against LastPass or while paying something.
I’m sure how it’s implemented will work just fine. That’s what is wrong with rumors, they don’t know everything and it tends to mislead people, especially when the rumor is wrong. I wouldn’t worry about it. I doubt Apple would make a mistake in how their Fingerprint technology is implemented.
PLEASE Apple consider leaving at least on USB connector for the Pros. We cannot change the world over night and taking away our ability to work effectively is not the answer! PLEASE!
Have you met Apple?
Does that mean you don’t anticipate them looking out for their Pros?
Check out the comments on CoM’s Facebook page. Half of them are regurgitated forty year old tropes.
I’m not sure it makes sense to have TouchID on a Mac when  already enabled their watch to unlock Macs based on time-of-flight proximity. Also,  pay is still linked to the secure enclave on your iPhone which is tied to the ARM processor.