Touch ID and Apple Pay
I was super-excited about Touch ID when it debuted in the 5s last year. But thanks to my scaly dry skin, I could never get it to work. I tried everything, from entering my thumb in all five profiles to constantly retraining it. Eventually I gave up.
No longer! The fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 6 is much improved. Finally it works. Hallelujah! And it’s great. It’s possibly my favorite feature. How did I ever live without it?
Unlocking the phone is now a breeze, and thank the stars I never ever have to type in my unwieldy and ridiculously long iTunes/App Store password again.
And, thanks to the Touch ID APIs, iOS 8 finally lets apps use the fingerprint sensor. I use it with 1Password, the popular and indispensable password manager — and it’s a little glimpse of the password-free future. Dozens of app makers — including Amazon, Evernote, Mint, eTrade and eHarmony — have already added Touch ID support, and I cannot wait until every app and service under the sun gets authenticated by fingerprint. Bring. It. On.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezK_NvY46MI&feature=youtu.be
Apple Pay
Which brings us to Apple Pay. Unfortunately there’s no way to test Apple’s new payment system because it won’t launch until October. But the ability to pay with a touch of your finger to the Home button may prove to be the defining feature of the new iPhones — the thing that’s remembered decades from now. It could bring a true revolution in commerce that will have ramifications for decades and upend the way we pay for everything. I can’t wait, although I am a little nervous about the added ease of Apple further draining my bank account.
