Apple May Add Biometrics to iPhone, Laptops

By  |  Friday, March 27, 2009 at 8:30 pm

FingerprintApple is attempting to patent a method to conceal a biometric sensor inside of its products to allow users to lock down their systems without having to type in passwords.

This is something that I have been waiting for. I do not have a password for my iPhone, because the very thought of having to input it every time my phone goes into sleep mode is mind-numbing. If I could confirm my identity simply by touching the screen, I’d be a happy camper. And it would be more secure than a password–no one else has my fingerprints.

Rather than adding an unwieldy biometric reader to its products, Apple’s designers have dreamed up a way to hide it. The company could go in another direction: The patent includes some unorthodox alternatives for authenticating users using its existing technology, including the device being tilted in certain directions, voice recognition, and having the user touch symbols in a specific sequence.

If Apple can make it password-free authentication work in practice, it would be a valuable feature for its products. I’m not certain what the costs involved would be, but it would be a feature that I bet enterprise customers would pay more for.

 
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6 Comments For This Post

  1. Tom B Says:
    March 28th, 2009 at 6:50 am

    cool. E-money in the US may be the next step…

  2. Motionmind Says:
    March 28th, 2009 at 7:51 am

    As long as the fingerprint reader is optional I’m fine with it. I work with my hands a lot and found out the hard way that my prints get screwed up on a regular basis when I got my first biometrics laptop. Not enough to start a crime spree mind you, but apparently enough to confuse a computer.

  3. Spot Cool Tech Says:
    March 28th, 2009 at 9:56 am

    There are already several laptops with biometrics–Apple is behind the curve on that. But to add it to an iPhone would be very cool.

  4. Andre Says:
    March 28th, 2009 at 10:08 am

    They already have a means where you can “touch symbols in a specific sequence”. If your password is 1234, you touch 1, 2, 3 and 4 in sequence.

  5. Tom B Says:
    March 28th, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    “There are already several laptops with biometrics–Apple is behind the curve on that. But to add it to an iPhone would be very cool.”

    It’s the easy portability that makes it cool.

  6. BRIMMSTONE Says:
    March 29th, 2009 at 10:08 am

    Antichrist?

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  1. [TechBlogWatch] Best of Blogs für den XX. MMMMM 2009 | TechFieber | Hot Gadgets. Smart TechNews. Says:
    March 28th, 2009 at 1:52 am

    […] Apple May Add Biometrics to iPhone, Laptops […]

  2. links for 2009-03-28 | Seth Goldstein Online Says:
    March 28th, 2009 at 5:01 pm

    […] Apple May Add Biometrics to iPhone, Laptops | Technologizer Apple is attempting to patent a method to conceal a biometric sensor inside of its products to allow users to lock down their systems without having to type in passwords. (tags: iphone apple macs) […]