Apple's colorful mainstream flagship, starting at $749.
Kuo: All iPhone Models in 2018 Likely to Abandon Fingerprint Recognition
All of the iPhones Apple plans to produce in 2018 are likely to abandon the Touch ID fingerprint sensor in favor of facial recognition, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors in a note sent out this evening.
According to Kuo, Apple will embrace Face ID as its authentication method for a competitive advantage over Android smartphones. Kuo has previously said that it could take years for Android smartphone manufacturers to produce technology that can match the TrueDepth camera and the Face ID feature coming in the iPhone X.
Kuo's prediction suggests that all upcoming 2018 iPhones will feature a full-screen design with minimal bezels like the iPhone X, meaning no additional models with the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus design would be produced.
That would spell the end of the line for Touch ID in the iPhone, which has been available as a biometric authentication option since 2013. It's not clear what that means for the Mac and the iPad, but Kuo has said he expects next year's iPad Pro models to transition to Face ID.
Should Apple decide to abandon Touch ID, it also means development would potentially end on a rumored under-display Touch ID solution.
Back in September, Kuo predicted 2018 iPhones would fully adopt the TrueDepth camera and facial recognition if Face ID was "well received" by customers, but further research conducted by KGI Securities has led him to believe it will indeed be successful, leading to today's more definitive prediction.
Kuo believes that Apple's transition away from Touch ID will also turn Android smartphone manufacturers away from fingerprint recognition. As he said in an earlier note, he expects high-end Android smartphones to "ditch" under-display optical fingerprint recognition in favor of 3D sensing techniques.
Despite Kuo's prediction, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi recently hinted that Apple may not be ready to abandon Touch ID across all its products just yet. While he said Face ID is the future of biometric authentication, he also noted that there are settings where different biometric techniques or combinations of biometrics could make sense.
According to Kuo, Apple will embrace Face ID as its authentication method for a competitive advantage over Android smartphones. Kuo has previously said that it could take years for Android smartphone manufacturers to produce technology that can match the TrueDepth camera and the Face ID feature coming in the iPhone X.
We predict all new 2H18F iPhone models will likely abandon fingerprint recognition. We believe this change will allow all new models to realize a competitive advantage via differentiation, on the back of an integrated user experience of full-screen design and TrueDepth Camera/ Facial recognition/ Face ID/ AR applications.Face ID, says Kuo, will continue to be a major selling point of the new iPhone models in 2018, with Apple planning to capitalize on its lead in 3D sensing design and production.
Kuo's prediction suggests that all upcoming 2018 iPhones will feature a full-screen design with minimal bezels like the iPhone X, meaning no additional models with the iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus design would be produced.
That would spell the end of the line for Touch ID in the iPhone, which has been available as a biometric authentication option since 2013. It's not clear what that means for the Mac and the iPad, but Kuo has said he expects next year's iPad Pro models to transition to Face ID.
Should Apple decide to abandon Touch ID, it also means development would potentially end on a rumored under-display Touch ID solution.
Back in September, Kuo predicted 2018 iPhones would fully adopt the TrueDepth camera and facial recognition if Face ID was "well received" by customers, but further research conducted by KGI Securities has led him to believe it will indeed be successful, leading to today's more definitive prediction.
Kuo believes that Apple's transition away from Touch ID will also turn Android smartphone manufacturers away from fingerprint recognition. As he said in an earlier note, he expects high-end Android smartphones to "ditch" under-display optical fingerprint recognition in favor of 3D sensing techniques.
Despite Kuo's prediction, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi recently hinted that Apple may not be ready to abandon Touch ID across all its products just yet. While he said Face ID is the future of biometric authentication, he also noted that there are settings where different biometric techniques or combinations of biometrics could make sense.
Related Roundup: iPhone XS
Buyer's Guide: iPhone XS (Buy Now)
[ 608 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
13 months ago
Half the time I unlock my phone before it's even pointed at my face. This just feels like an inconvenient compromise for not having a good place for a fingerprint scanner.
13 months ago
No Thanx! I will NEVER buy a Face-ID device.
Don't shoe-horn things into consumers faces that they've never asked for and don't take away things they care deeply about. Enjoy the free-slide in sales. It may not be immediate, but it will be profound.
Don't shoe-horn things into consumers faces that they've never asked for and don't take away things they care deeply about. Enjoy the free-slide in sales. It may not be immediate, but it will be profound.
13 months ago
No Thanx! I will NEVER buy a Face-ID device.
Don't shoe-horn things into consumers faces that they've never asked for and don't take away things they care deeply about. Enjoy the free-slide in sales. It may not be immediate, but it will be profound.
That's what they said about TouchID o_O
13 months ago
That's what they said about TouchID o_O
What did they take away when they added Touch ID?
13 months ago
I'm done with Apple. I'm moving to Samsung. At least they have a headphone jack and fingerprint scanner
/s
/s
13 months ago
samsung scratching their plans to put a fingerprint under the screen now.
13 months ago
GOOD. Face ID is the future. I don't expect to see iPhones with 3.5 inch floppy drives either.
13 months ago
No Thanx! I will NEVER buy a Face-ID device.
Don't shoe-horn things into consumers faces that they've never asked for and don't take away things they care deeply about. Enjoy the free-slide in sales. It may not be immediate, but it will be profound.
One person does not like face id without even trying the technology.
Conclusion: Apple is doomed.
[ Read All Comments ]
At its annual Adobe Max conference, Adobe announced plans to bring a complete version of Photoshop to the iPad in 2019.
Photoshop CC for iPad will feature a revamped interface designed...
At its annual Adobe Max Creativity Conference, Adobe today announced a range of updates that are being introduced to its Creative Cloud software.
Creative Cloud apps that include Photoshop CC,...
Live TV streaming service PlayStation Vue recently added support for Apple's TV app on fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV devices, as well as on iOS. With this addition, PS Vue subscribers can...
Anki, known for its lineup of Overdrive iPhone-controlled cars and the Cozmo robot, today announced the official launch of its newest product, the Vector home robot.
Vector first debuted on...
With the launch of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X last year, Apple made some changes to the way a forced restart is performed and also to the way the devices are put into DFU mode. These...
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with WhyWood to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win something a little bit out of the ordinary - a high quality wooden iPhone and Apple Watch...
We're entering the final days of our latest exclusive sale with accessory maker Anker, in which you can get up to 42 percent off portable chargers, speakers, iPhone cases, wireless chargers, and...
Sygic's "Car Navigation: GPS & Maps" iOS app has updated to support CarPlay today. Sygic's app has a long history on the iOS App Store as one of the first GPS navigation apps...
