Apple aims to bring Face ID to Mac within the next couple of years, reports Mark Gurman in his weekend “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg.
Gurman describes deploying the facial-recognition technology across all of Apple’s major devices — iPhone, iPad, Mac — as the company’s “ultimate goal.” He also suggests that Apple could be looking to embed the TrueDepth camera system, which helps power Face ID, in the Mac screen itself. This would help to eliminate the notch at the top of the display.
“I think implementing Face ID in all of its major devices is the company’s ultimate goal,” Gurman wrote. “If it were possible, Apple would have already nixed Touch ID. But it has had to stick around for a couple of reasons. On the iPhone SE and non-Pro iPads, it’s a cheaper alternative that lets Apple cut costs while still offering security. On Mac laptops, the screens are too thin to implement the necessary depth sensor.”
Face ID: The journey so far
Apple introduced Face ID in 2017 with the iPhone X. It can be found in all iPhone 12 models, although the current-get iPhone SE uses Touch ID (and so, apparently, will the forthcoming third-gen model of the budget iPhone.)
Interestingly, some recent rumors suggest that Apple is looking at introducing in-display Touch ID for the iPhone 13. However, this would not replace Face ID, but rather work as an addition (for extra security) or alternative (for situations in which Face ID is not possible). Apple brought Face ID to the iPad Pro with the third-gen pro tablet in 2018.
Gurman previously reported that Apple planned on bringing Face ID to the Mac with the 2021 iMac redesign. However, that didn’t happen. Gurman didn’t provide any additional detail on what caused the delay.
Would Face ID be a big deal for you on Mac? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
