Apple Has 'Just Weeks' to Solve iPhone 8 Touch ID Dilemma

I find this very very very hard to believe. A company of Apple's caliber probably had this figured out earlier in the year. I really don't believe they're "scrambling" to get Touch ID implemented.

These stories are so dumb. (Not being critical of MacRumors-- keep printing rumors!!-- but of the underlying story). The hardware has been locked for months by now. This is a long-decided issue, whatever the decision was.

Whatever Apple's solution is, they've already had it "solved" for many months now.

Hmm, no they don't. Either put it on the front of the phone through the screen or push the phone release until October or November. No one cares to have Touch ID in the back for a September release.

I really Hope Apple have succeeded in placing touch id under the display. i am not ready to get disappointed of no Touch ID.

I’m sure Apple already figured this out. Probably pushing these “rumors” out for hype.

Guys it's mid-July now. Around August they go through rehearsals for the keynote. I'd say by now promotional and marketing material is mostly filmed and in the editting proccess. Indicating that whatever is done is done.

Ha. Ha. Is this "article" suppose to be the first installment of a soap opera or the trailer script for a geek action movie? OH no crisis! Apple only has weeks to save the iPhone!

C'mon. The iPhone 8 feature set was likely locked down month ago so that parts could be ordered and production line tooling could be arranged. This isn't a movie, it's real life. Apple can't just add in a complex hardware feature a few weeks before launch. Heck, companies beta test s/w for months before launch and it's still buggy for the first couple of updates after then.

Just place TouchID in the Sleep/Wake Button for iPhone 8 and then make iPhone 8s with TouchID behind the display.

This is all such hilarious BS. These "analysts" have no reliable sources.

I called this out as soon as it started. They're talking about TouchID at the superficial, idiot level, without understanding all of the consequences should Apple have decided to truly replace the fingerprint scanner. It would be a HUGE amount of effort, likely requiring renegotiating agreements with partners and totally redesigning the system's hardware architecture. This is not something which Apple is going to decide within "weeks". Bull-****.

If Apple was going to replace TouchID or put it on the back of the phone, they would need to square that with ApplePay (which is an extremely important service). There are regulations governing how much liability card issuers have for fraudulent transactions based on your authentication method. For example, card issuers are potentially liable for fraudulent charges if they issue you with a magnetic stripe card with signature authentication, which are both easily copied. If you use a modern chip-and-PIN card, however, they are not liable. If you use a contactless card with zero authentication, once again they become liable (which is why such payments are limited to small amounts and will still occasionally ask for your PIN to authenticate). Similar considerations apply to the iPhone's Secure Enclave and TouchID. How liable would a card issuer be if they permitted & encouraged you to authenticate payments using an easily-duped facial recognition system?

That's the kind of thing a second-rate "analyst" doesn't think of; but you can bet Apple didn't forget about it.

Not only that, but the TouchID sensor has extremely tight, hardware-level integration with the Secure Enclave inside the iPhone's CPU (for security). Any switch to a camera-based system would require the same level of security. That's an extremely significant redesign of the system architecture, not that any of these "analysts" would appreciate that.

Remember how crazy Apple are about security? The TouchID sensor is locked to your device at the factory, in an effort to protect against government agents installing fake sensors which allow their own prints. They fought the courts and the FBI to avoid creating a backdoor to access a terrorist's iPhone. They can't stop harping on about privacy and security.

These people (who apparently have zero understanding of Apple or the iOS platform) are claiming that Apple has no idea what they want the next iPhone to be like, and are going to make a snap decision about replacing one of the most critical components of the device. Apparently, Apple wants to remove the home-button so badly, they are willing to compromise all other parts of the device, risk their hard-won reputation for security and privacy, your bank accounts and private information (including health information).

Bull. ****.

Maybe Apple are replacing TouchID (anything is possible) - but if they are, they are replacing it with something that has been extensively tested and proven reliable, and it would be in a system hardware architecture that was designed for that sensor. They're not deciding anything "within weeks".