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Face ID - page 7

iOS 12 wish list: All the features we absolutely need

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iOS 12 wish list
Here's everything we want from Apple's next major update.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

WWDC is right around the corner, which means we’re about to get our very first look at Apple’s next major update to iOS.

We’re expecting big things from iOS 12, including a whole host of improvements that will make our devices more stable, and plenty of welcome bug fixes. Apple will surely surprise us with some nice new features, too.

Here’s our lengthy wish list for this update, which includes a Home screen overhaul, a more powerful FaceTime, better multitasking, and more!

Animoji go on a wild ride in crazy K-pop iPhone X ad

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animoji
Animoji are one of the best iPhone
Photo: Apple

Apple has tapped into the power of K-pop for its wild new Animoji ad that came out today. The South Korean group HYUKOH gave Apple exclusive rights to their catchy new song for the fun ad that features a dazzling array of lights and animated cityscapes.

The minute-long ad is similar in style to the Grammy-themed Animoji ads Apple put out earlier this year. Only in this one, the visuals are ramped up to an all-new level.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride:

A glimpse of Apple’s in-display fingerprint scanner that will never be

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The 2018 iPhone models aren't going to have an in-display Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
Touch ID could be back, but not as you know it.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

When Apple decided to create a bezel-less iPhone, it needed a replacement for the fingerprint scanner in the Home button. The company decided to go with facial recognition, but also looked into embedding a Touch ID scanner into the display.

A holdover from this period is a patent the company received today.

New iPhone SE 2 renders reveal gorgeous glass back

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iPhone SE 2 with glass back
iPhone SE 2 looks good in these renders, but they may not be accurate.
Photo: Olixar

New renders of the upcoming iPhone SE 2, which depict its gorgeous glass back, have been revealed by a popular case-maker.

Olixar is already producing accessories for the device based on information it has gleaned from sources in China. Its new screen protector indicates the iPhone SE 2 will be a big surprise, with an edge-to-edge display just like iPhone X.

Do lackluster sales mean HomePod’s doomed? Catch the discussion on The CultCast

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X-ray view of HomePod
Is HomePod nearing its end, or just getting started?
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: HomePod sales are already stumbling — is it doomed? Plus: Face ID could replace passwords on your favorite websites; the death of Touch ID scheduled for this fall; and our hands-on reviews of an $80 tech-packed coffee cup, a beautiful new HomeKit smart lock, and the all-new Mavic Air drone.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off any hosting plan.

Face ID could replace passwords on your favorite websites

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Facial Recognition
We dream of a day in which biometrics replace passcodes.
Photo: Apple

Face ID could become even more useful thanks to a newly launched Web Authentication standard, which could replace regular web passcodes with biometric identification. This is via an API created by the FIDO Alliance and W3C. It allows users to access any online service in a browser through password-free FIDO Authentication.

While Apple already allows Face ID to autofill usernames and passcodes on iOS, this could go one step further by replacing the passcode altogether. This would make it a more secure option.

Face ID goes to the market in crazy new iPhone X ad

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Apple has published another incredible new ad for Face ID on the iPhone X that shows off how easy it is to buy stuff with a glance.

The minute-long ad is similar in style to the wild ad Apple put out last week. While wandering through a flea market, an iPhone X owner is suddenly able to buy anything he sees just by giving it a look.

Watch what happens:

Cops will use your cold dead corpse to unlock your iPhone

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Touch ID on iPhone
The fingerprints of the dead can be used with Touch ID.
Photo: Apple

Ending years of speculation, law enforcement agencies confirm they regularly use fingerprints from corpses to unlock iPhones.

It’s only a matter of time before police unlock an iPhone X with a dead person’s face.

2018 iPhone production starts early to bring Face ID to the masses

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Face ID iPhone X
Face ID will be on all three of Apple's new iPhones this year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

All three of Apple’s proposed iPhone models for 2018 will reportedly include 3D sensing tech for augmented reality and Face ID — which means that Apple has its work cut out producing all of them.

As a result of last year’s 3D sensor production issues, it’s therefore getting started on manufacturing earlier this year, with trial production set to kick off as early as the second quarter of 2018.

iPad Pro X concept wows with edge-to-edge design

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iPad Pro X
A concept iPad Pro X drawing shows an all-screen design, dual cameras.
Photo: Martin Hajek

Here’s what an iPad Pro with an iPhone X-style, edge-to-edge display might look like. Concept designer Martin Hajek combined the rumored iOS tablet with the logo for Apple’s next developer conference. (That’s where we might get our first actual glimpse of the device.)

iPhone is two years ahead of its rivals in one important way

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Michael Cohen Face ID
Face ID will remain an Apple exclusive until 2019.
Photo: Apple

While the iPhone is still my pick for the world’s best smartphone, there’s no doubt that some of Apple’s rivals have done a good job of catching up in certain areas.

One place they’re unlikely to match Apple any time soon? Face ID, claims a new report. The reason? Because Apple has bought up so much of the 3D sensing component capacity from manufacturers that Android rivals are stuck two years behind. Ouch!

Face ID unlocks mayhem in new iPhone X ad

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A9F357BE-3F1B-4359-A9E3-0BD4E4582E74
Face ID irl would be ahmazing!
Photo: Apple

Face ID completely changes the way users interact with their iPhone, but imagine if every physical lock could be opened with just a glance.

In Apple’s newest iPhone X ad, the powers of Face ID get unleashed on the real world after a high school girl discovers (or imagines?) she has the power to open anything with her face.

Watch the mayhem unfold:

Nixing the Home button could bring 11-inch iPad

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11-inch iPad Rumored
An 11-inch iPad would fit between the company’s current 12.9- and 10.5-inch models.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple continues to improve the iPad Pro design, with a nearly bezel-less version reportedly in development. This could mean an 11-inch iPad the same overall size as the company’s current 10.5-inch tablet.

This will supposedly be the first iPad with Apple’s Face ID as the technology expands beyond the iPhone X.

Apple might drop new iPad Pro with Face ID in June

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bezel free
Prepare for an all-new iPad Pro.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will deliver a revamped iPad Pro during the June quarter of this year, according to a new report.

Inspired by the iPhone X, the device is expected to have significantly slimmer bezels and Face ID, and could make up for weaker-than-expected demand for Apple’s latest smartphones. Apple could also be planning a smaller, more affordable version of HomePod.

Apple may reveal new iPhone at WWDC 2018

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iPhone SE encryption
iPhone SE set for biggest upgrade yet.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A sketchy rumor out of China claims Apple will unveil a new iPhone SE at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

The device is expected to pack a larger display and more powerful components, but no Face ID.

iPhone’s controversial notch could shrink in 2018

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Apple Watch
You’ll want this year’s iPhone for its cameras.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone’s controversial “notch” will get smaller this year, according to one group of investors.

Apple is expected to integrate Face ID into all three handsets it has planned for 2018. A smaller TrueDepth sensor means the cutout at the top of the iPhone’s display won’t need to be quite so big.

iOS 11.3 beta reveals unannounced ‘Modern iPad’

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bezel free
Prepare for an all-new iPad Pro.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple left a big clue in iOS 11.3 that it is working on a brand new iPad for release later this year.

After Apple released the first beta of iOS 11.3 earlier this week, developers dug through the new software. They found references to a mysterious “Modern iPad” that packs Face ID.

iPhone’s Face ID notch could get a lot smaller next year

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Face ID
Not everyone loves the notch.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone X’s controversial notch could get a lot smaller next year.

According to the latest rumor out of Asia, Apple’s suppliers are supposedly in the early stages of a solution that could shrink the notch by combing Face ID with the iPhone’s front-facing camera.

iPhone X makes stunning motion capture dirt-cheap

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Face ID iPhone X
Face ID can be used for more than just unlocking your iPhone X.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera system could soon make capturing Hollywood-quality motion capture as easy as snapping a selfie.

In a demo showing you don’t need millions of dollars in studio equipment, Big Screen VR founder Darshan Shankar tweeted a demo of some motion capture work that is being done using nothing more than an iPhone X and commodity body trackers.

Check it out:

iPhone SE 2 will have one massive change from its predecessor

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iPhone SE Plus concept
It's like if the iPhone SE and the iPhone X had a baby.
Photo: Curved

Apple’s cheapest iPhone is about to steal some major design cues from the pricey iPhone X.

The successor to the iPhone SE could arrive later this year. And according to a new rumor, design changes could include a glass back that adds one of the iPhone X’s most underrated features.

Samsung is borrowing some big iPhone X features for Galaxy S9

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newchip
Samsung's new chip will offer features very similar to Apple's Animojis and Face ID.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung’s next Galaxy S flagship phone will reportedly make use of a new AI processing chip to offer features similar to the iPhone X’s Face ID and Animojis.

According to Samsung, its new chip will offer, “realistic face-tracking filters as well as stronger security when unlocking a device with one’s face.”  Remember that recent Samsung ad about how it beats Apple to every important smartphone feature? Well, you should probably forget about it temporarily.

Top tech trends of 2017

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top tech trends 2017
2017 was a great year for consumer technology.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac's 2017 Apple year in review2017 was an exciting year for consumer technology. It brought us big advancements in areas like machine learning and biometric security, as well as a big boost for augmented reality, and some not-so-satisfying changes to smartphone price tags.

Here are the top technology trends of 2017.

Creepy video shows how iPhone X can make your face vanish

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iPhone X
It's the Invisible Man.
Photo: Kazuya Noshiro

Having your own invisibility cloak could soon become a reality thanks to the iPhone X. Kind of.

Japanese developer Kazuya Noshiro showed off a demo of an app he’s working on that uses the iPhone X’s facial recognition features to completely camouflage a users’ face with the background. The trippy effect almost makes you look like a set of floating eyeballs with hair on top.

Watch his face disappear:

Cult of Mac’s 2018 Apple wish list

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iPad Pro2
What the next iPad might look like.
Photo: Martin Hajek

Cult of Mac's 2017 Year in Review With 2018 about to begin, why rehash everything that already happened, just to fill up some space while we take time out for Christmas? Let’s go with a different year-end cliche? Yes, it’s a wish list for Apple products in 2018.

Some of these will almost certainly come to pass, while others perhaps will not. One is probably doomed before you even read about it here. Let’s take a look at what Apple products I hope will part me from my money in the coming year.