People have been using Face ID to unlock their iPhones since 2017, and their iPads since 2018. But don’t expect to unlock your iMac using facial recognition just yet.
According to a Friday report from Bloomberg, Apple has been developing Touch ID for Mac. However, while it was originally planned for the 2021 iMac redesign, it’s now been pushed back to a later update.
“Apple has also developed underlying Mac support for both cellular connectivity — the ability for Macs to connect to the internet via smartphone networks — and Face ID, the company’s facial recognition system,” wrote Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. “But neither feature appears to be coming soon. To that end, Face ID had originally been planned to arrive in this year’s iMac redesign, but it’s now unlikely to be included in the first iteration of the new design.”
There’s no word on exactly why this is the case. Apple has now had several years to perfect Face ID. From a computational perspective, it seems like getting it working on an iPhone or iPad, that’s constantly in motion, would be tough than getting it working on a stationary computer. Similarly, the extra component costs would be swallowed up by the more pricey iMac, compared to a lower-cost iPhone or iPad.
Then again, maybe Apple didn’t want to change too much about the iMac at once in case this opens up new hardware challenges.
All change, please: Apple redesigning multiple Macs
According to a recent report, the iMac is set to get its first redesign since 2012. Changes supposedly will include a refreshed display with smaller bezels, and a next-gen Apple Silicon chip. There’s currently no word on when the redesigned iMac will arrive.
That’s not the only Mac that’s due for a redesign, either. Apple is supposedly also working on big redesigns of the Mac Pro, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. All of these will boast redesigned exteriors and internal components. After years of being sidelined, it seems like 2021 may be one of the best years in forever for Mac users.
What are you most excited about when it comes to next-gen Macs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Bloomberg
