Petr Škuta Lately, we've been wondering not if Apple will bring Face ID to Macs, but rather when. According to the latest patents, it looks like we can expect a new external keyboard soon.
Face ID first appeared together with the iPhone X. Paradoxically, however, Apple's first patent regarding this technology did not talk about using it on a smartphone, but on a Mac. A 2017 patent describes the automatic wake-up and user recognition feature:
The patent describes how Macs in sleep mode can use the camera to recognize faces. This feature will likely be added to Power Nap, where a sleeping Mac is still able to perform some background operations.
If your Mac sees a face, if it's recognized, it can wake up from sleep.
Simply put, the Mac stays put to sleep with the ability to detect if a face is in range and then switch to the more powerful mode needed to recognize the face without waking up completely from sleep.
A patent also surfaced last year that describes Face ID on the Mac. In contrast to the general text, it also described specific gestures that could be used to control the Mac.
The latest patent describes a technology that is more akin to a retina scan than traditional Face ID. This type of security is usually used in areas with the highest security.
Patent application #86 describes a Touch Bar device that may also include a "face recognition sensor." Patent application #87 contains the sentence "wherein the biometric sensor is a retinal scanner".
Apple is apparently interested in where to take Face ID technology next and sees an opportunity in retina scanning. Or, quite possibly, he is just describing all possible variants of use to avoid later disputes with patent trolls.
The Cupertino company has already been warned many times that even Face ID is not so bulletproof. Phones have already proven at launch iPhone X can be unlocked by identical twins. A video has also surfaced on the internet, where an elaborate 3D mask was used to fool Face ID security. But unless you are the CEO of a major company in the field, it is likely that no one will attempt such an attack on your iPhone.
Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar
The patent application also mentions the Touch Bar. This is located on a separate keyboard, which is not the first time. But Cupertino, like many other companies, also patents technologies that ultimately never see the light of day.
The external keyboard with Touch Bar raises several doubts. Firstly, the OLED strip will have an impact on the overall battery life. Second, the Touch Bar itself is more of a design accessory than a revolutionary technology that users are asking for.
Apple is certainly preparing a new generation of its external keyboard, but we will probably know the result only after the redesign of the less successful MacBook variants.
Gallery
Source: 9to5Mac
I wonder how much such a magic keyboard with a touchbar will cost? Do you need 15 thousand? Elsewhere it would cost two laptops, but with Apple a keyboard?
They won't give up on the touch bar. And the magic-keyboard connection? Is this a mockery? After all, it's shit at the limit of usability, not to mention reliability - after a year of use, some keys start skipping, others stutter! Over the weekend, I touched a Huawei laptop in Alza - an obvious imitation of a MacBook. But the keyboard, I would like you to try it, almost like on MacBook 2015! They can't do that at Apple anymore. Instead, they invent bullshit, like a fuck-me-bar…
In my opinion, it is essential that dear Apple goes through the downward spiral again - only this time Jobs will not come back and pull them back up again...