Touch ID: Apple's iPhone 5S Has A New Home Button With Fingerprint Sensor
by Brent Dirks
September 10, 2013
Apple has just announced the new Touch ID sensor on the iPhone 5S.
“There’s so much personal stuff on these devices; our email, our photos, our contacts," said Apple's Phil Schiller during today's media event. "We have to protect them. The most common way is to set up a passcode. A simple four-digit passcode, or a more complex one if you want. Unfortunately, some people find it’s too cumbersome and dont set it up. In our research, as much as half of people don’t ever set it up.”
The sensor is capacitive and 170 microns thin. The 500 ppi resolution sensor scans sub-epidermal skin layers and has 360-degree readibility. So no matter how you train the sensor to read you finger, it can be identified from any orientation.
One of the main uses of the sensor is to automatically unlock your handset without having to enter a passcode.
As an unexpected bonus, users can complete purchases without entering their password. All it takes is a fingerprint scan, which is very exciting news. Other apps can also take advantage of the sensor.
Photo: TechCrunch
