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Apple Acquires Israeli Firm RealFace Specializing in Facial Recognition

Facial recognition could have other applications apart from just authenticating purchases... may be in augmented reality (AR).
As for TouchID, it feels so natural that sometimes you don't even realize that it's there.. you just press on the home button and it does the rest.
It would be good to have face recognition in addition to the TouchID.

One the second thought authentication using only facial recognition doesn't sound so much secure.. someone can just grab your iPhone and point it at your face... and boom.. it unlocks, even though you actually want it to stay locked.
 
This technology would make perfect sense on the MacBook's and iMacs. But not on the iPhone as a replacement for TouchID. As an addition, sure (but gimmicky).
 
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Great to see Apple going after innovative IP such as RealFace. That said, I'm skeptical of the rumors that TouchID would be removed this year in any of their devices...too risky.
 
I myself still don't use passcodes at all. I personally find that they get in my way and slow me down.

Granted, Touch ID (and Nexus Imprint in my case) make it so easy to have a password that it's virtually just as easy to use Touch ID as it is to not use it. Maybe I'm just stuck in my old ways. Anybody else?
 
NovemberWhiskey said:
This would be an ok SUPPLEMENT to TouchID, but I hope it isn't a replacement for it. I can see how they might use this for things like unlocking certain apps, or hidden files/folders, while keeping TouchID for unlocking the phone and Apple Pay.
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Agreed. I think it will easily supplement Touch ID. I don't see Apple abandoning Touch ID as of yet. I do see them strengthening their security with an Iris Scan at some point. Which is highly more secure over a fingerprint.
 
BoltmanLives said:
What makes you think that? Are there any past examples of this add-on redundancy from Apl? With MSFT I could add on a Type Keyboard with fingerprint (For Sp3 users mainly) ...that would be redundant.

In reality they take away and/or replace. Additional layer of security is a given with facial id as it is 4-5x better and the device itself is the other factor of ID. A lesser fingerprint is redundant...hence toast (saves cost, increases margins, creates a differential for older design).. Look at headphone jack loss, same thing.
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When TouchId was introduced, Passcode wasn't instantly removed, and I'm hazarding to guess it'll still be there when Facial recognition is added to TouchId, initially anyway. It's not about being redundant in this case, but rather about additional layers of security.

It's doubtful that the first gen Facial recognition will be advanced enough so as to be unobtrusive, i.e. having to put your iPhone in front of your face to unlock or authenticate, which would certainly put a lot of people off.

Also, the removal of the headphone jack had nothing to do with security.
 
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What if you have a twin? Or what if some hacker acquires a 3D model of your face? Or from a more simple approach, what if someone simply has a PHOTO of you?? Seems reallllly insecure. TouchID, on the other hand, is super secure.
 
Interesting purchase. Perhaps people can take photos of their family and friends, input the associated name once and this software can "label" them again in future images. There seems to be a few things this type of software might be able to fulfill other than replacing authentication.
 
Please tell me that any face recognition used to unlock the iPhone could not be duped by a simple photograph - right? RIGHT?

In any case are we sure this is about facial recognition for security as opposed to added functionality for iPhoto?
 
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Is this the CSI tool for stores? You walk in, they scan your face and can follow you around? Recall this is software that can be associated with other uses. Maybe you walk in and the store automatically recognized you, your past purchases and more. There are lots of opportunity for such software to be use in rather suspect ways but then again, would be nice if you passed data to a friend that the software would confirm that it went to the other person's device based on their face being continually shown until complete as the software can work with more than a static image.
 
aaronhead14 said:
What if you have a twin? Or what if some hacker acquires a 3D model of your face? Or from a more simple approach, what if someone simply has a PHOTO of you?? Seems reallllly insecure. TouchID, on the other hand, is super secure.
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The Android version has had an option to require a liveness check for years. Photos won't work. How many of us have completely identical twins?
 
O
adepew said:
Touch ID is so convenient. It has made iPhones infinitely more productive vs passcodes. Also, how well does this work under differing conditions? Low light? What if I have a beard and then I shave my face or vice versa? How fast would it work as Touch ID is lightning quick. I also prefer a physical button or at least the imprint for one (which unfortunately looks like it is going away). It's going to take some real convincing for me to say Touch ID is ready for pasture. Hopefully this is in addition to Touch ID and not in place of Touch ID. I guess time will tell.
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my understanding, which may be off, is that it doesn't require light. It's heat detection. And so long as you are alive, your heat will emit a unique pattern that the sensor can pick up. At least this is how other applications Ive seen have dealt with it.

I think it would be possible to have something that works just as well as Touch ID. I'd still like to see touchid as an option going forward for at least a couple of years though.
 
why do we have to think that facial recognition WILL REPLACE touchID? Why wont we see that as a measure to prevent unauthorised people from using the phone, like when the iPhones were stolen? gosh, these hatreds lead to nowhere..
 
I like to think this will be used for enabling multi user devices. For example if my kid is looking at my phone she automatically only has access to the apps I let her see, the rest would be hidden.
 
7 others said:
why do we have to think that facial recognition WILL REPLACE touchID? Why wont we see that as a measure to prevent unauthorised people from using the phone, like when the iPhones were stolen? gosh, these hatreds lead to nowhere..
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Because without that false narrative the sad will get a major case of the shakes not having anything to crap on Apple about this weekend.
 
$400 million? Seems like someone got a nice payday. Theres free opensource face recognition stuff as good as that already out there.

Edit: I see it was only $2 million. Still, alot for a bit of open source.
 
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