Why would Apple add a fingerprint sensor to the iPhone?
As rumors suggest that Apple may announce a new iPhone as soon as next month, the speculation game, never at less than a low simmer, has heated up to a rolling boil.
Much of the theorizing has revolved around the possibility that Apple will add a fingerprint scanner to the iPhone, either incorporating it directly in the Home button, or, as indicated in a patent granted to the company in 2012, situating it in a dedicated area of the handset’s front screen. Such technology is far from science fiction—and it could actually provide real, tangible benefits to iOS device owners.
All thumbs
Though it might sound like the kind of technology you’d find in a Mission: Impossible movie, fingerprint scanners are already in widespread use in various industries. If you’ve recently had the pleasure of taking an international flight, for example, officials in your destination country may have used one to record your biometric information before issuing you a visa.
The rumors that Apple will include such technology didn’t materialize out of thin air, either: In 2012, Apple in 2012 acquired AuthenTec, a Florida-based company that specializes in exactly the kind of hardware that the new iPhone would need if it were to support fingerprint scanning. In addition, some code spelunkers say that they’ve found evidence of software related to fingerprint scanning in iOS 7 developer betas.
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