Early Prototype of Apple's Touch ID Demoed by AuthenTec Co-Founder

Apple's Touch ID fingerprint sensor, one of the core features of the iPhone 5s, has received universally positive reviews due to its simplicity, its speed, and its position as a feature that is far from gimmicky, unlike some competing products.

The fingerprint sensor technology came from AuthenTec, a small semiconductor company based in Melbourne, Florida, acquired by Apple in July of 2012. AuthenTec co-founder F. Scott Moody detailed both the company's acquisition and the technology behind Touch ID during a presentation that took place on at North Carolina State University on Tuesday, which AppleInsider attended.

[Moody] explained to the students that it’s AuthenTec’s technology behind an 8-millimeter by 8-millimeter sensor found beneath the iPhone 5s home button.

"We're looking at pores, structures of ridges and valleys, and instantaneously tell who you are," Moody said. "Every time you use it, it learns more about you. Because it knows, 'This is Alex,' every time you use it gets easier and easier."

Before Apple’s Touch ID, AuthenTec worked on the FingerLoc, a product that originally attracted Apple’s attention. FingerLoc was a bulky solution housed in a box much larger than an iPhone, which connected via ribbon cable to another, larger box.

fingerloc
Like the existing Touch ID fingerprint sensor, the FingerLoc incorporated a metal ring that functioned as a capacitor. According to Moody, AuthenTec teamed up with several dermatologists in order to perfect the capacitor, which is designed to send a signal through the outer layer of skin. "With other sensors, your ridges would collapse into the valleys," said Moody. "Ours doesn't."

Over the course of several years, AuthenTec revised and improved the FingerLoc, shrinking the size of the sensor and lowering the price point until it came up with a final product that interested several technology companies, namely Apple.

When AuthenTec came out with their final product, the company generated interest from a number of customers, including Apple, Motorola and Fujitsu. Apple, in particular, “ate it up,” Moody said, and eventually bought the entire company in 2012 for $356 million.

"We had a great team of engineers — which I think is highlighted by the fact that Apple kept the engineering team," he said.

According to Apple, AuthenTec’s Touch ID sensor captures a high-resolution image of a fingerprint, which it then analyzes to provide accurate readings. Though fears have been raised the fingerprint storage process and the security of the system, Apple has assured users that the iPhone 5s stores only fingerprint data, publishing an extensive knowledge base article detailing Touch ID.

Top Rated Comments

kappaknight Avatar
130 months ago
It's sad that something like this (useful) was bought for $356M whereas something like Instagram (pointless) was bought for a billion. :rolleyes:
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
130 months ago
Looks like the new HTC One Max. :D
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
giantfan1224 Avatar
130 months ago
It is interesting that it reads pores etc. That level detail is impressive, I was unaware of that.

Who knew the home button could be so versatile? Apple had the perfect location already built in and millions of users all ready trained. Great forward thinking.

Yet the fandroids in mass claim Apple can't innovate. The Touch ID is a perfect example of Apple innovating, even if fingerprint identification systems have existed before on electronic devices.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmichaelb Avatar
130 months ago
It is interesting that it reads pores etc. That level detail is impressive, I was unaware of that.

Who knew the home button could be so versatile? Apple had the perfect location already built in and millions of users all ready trained. Great forward thinking.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PracticalMac Avatar
130 months ago
So it uses a technology never before used by other fingerprint scanner and apparently significantly more accurate. Apple effectively has a lock on the best fingerprint scanner in world.

Samsung will be copying this big time.


PS, when will we see this on MacBooks?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
giantfan1224 Avatar
130 months ago
Yes, but I don't want to have to scan my fingerprint everytime I unlock the phone, like when I'm having a text conversation and the screen turns off in between messages. I want to only need my passcode/fingerprint every 5 or 15 mins.
The scanner is integrated into the home button. You have to press the home button to wake it up. I'm failing to see the huge inconvenience here.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Multi Display CarPlay 1

All-New Apple CarPlay Launching Later This Year With These 5 New Features

Friday September 29, 2023 11:29 am PDT by
At WWDC 2022 last year, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, personalization options, and more. Apple said the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience would be announced in late 2023, but it has still not shared any additional...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

Apple to Address iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issue With iOS 17 Update

Saturday September 30, 2023 9:28 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an iOS 17 update to address a bug that may contribute to the reported iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating issue, according to a statement the company shared today with MacRumors and Forbes reporter David Phelan. Apple also says some recent updates to third-party apps have overloaded the system and contributed to the overheating issue. The report notes that...
BMW Logo iPhone 15 Pro

Warning: BMW Wireless Charging May Break iPhone 15's Apple Pay Chip

Sunday October 1, 2023 6:14 am PDT by
If you have an iPhone 15 and drive a BMW, it might be best to avoid charging the device with the vehicle's wireless charging pad for now. Over the past week, some BMW owners have complained that their iPhone 15's NFC chip no longer works after charging the device with their vehicle's wireless charging pad, according to comments shared on the MacRumors Forums and X, formerly known as Twitter. ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Details: Action Button, USB-C Port, Face ID, and More

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:34 pm PDT by
Significant changes are expected to arrive with Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE, in terms of both design and hardware, MacRumors has learned. The iPhone SE 4, known internally under the codename Ghost, is expected to receive a new design derived almost entirely from the base model iPhone 14. According to our sources, the iPhone SE 4 will use a modified version of the iPhone 14 chassis...
iPhone 16 Side Feature

iPhone 16 and 16 Pro: Preliminary Weights and Dimensions

Friday September 29, 2023 12:34 pm PDT by
MacRumors has obtained preliminary information on the weights and dimensions planned for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The information corroborates previous reports suggesting that the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will feature larger displays. iPhone 16 and 16 Plus Current information suggests that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will maintain the same...
CarPlay SharePlay

CarPlay Not Working for Some iPhone 15 Users, Possibly Because of USB-C Cables

Friday September 29, 2023 2:27 pm PDT by
CarPlay is not working as expected for some iPhone 15 users, an issue that is likely linked to the transition to USB-C. There are multiple complaints from MacRumors readers and Reddit users who are unable to get CarPlay to work with their new devices. Cable type and available port options are a common theme in the CarPlay reports, with many of the functionality problems linked to USB-A to...
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.1 Beta 1

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:57 pm PDT by
Just a week after releasing iOS 17, Apple has seeded the first beta of iOS 17.1 to developers. iOS 17.1 adds some features that Apple promised were coming to iOS 17 in the future, plus it refines and improves some existing features. This guide covers everything new in the first iOS 17.1 beta. Apple Music Favorites You can favorite songs, albums, playlists, and artists in the iOS 17.1...